Rashid to lead Indian golf team in Asian Games

Sep 07, 2010 |

New Delhi

Teen amateur sensation Rashid Khan will spearhead a five-strong Indian golf team announced today for the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China this November.

The 19-year-old Rashid, a two-time champion at the prestigious amateur event the Faldo series, will be joined by Abhijeet Chaddha, Rahul Bajaj and Abhinav Lohan with Ashbeer Saini as the reserve player.

The women's team for the event was also announced on Tuesday by the Indian Golf Union (IGU). The team comprises Shreya Ghei, Vani Kapoor, Gurbani Singh with Shradhanjali Singh as the reserve player.

The golf event is scheduled November 12 to 15. The players were selected after a trial in Noida and Bengaluru in July.

"I am glad that the team has been chosen early which gives adequate time for the team members to travel and live together," the team's Australian coach Peter Murphy said.

"Both the teams were selected after extensive trials and they have been picked after they beat their peers. The process was transparent," Indian Golf Union president Ashit Luthra added.

"The biggest challenge for India will come from Korea and Japan. But our teams comprise potential champions who would go on to make it big at the pro level as well," Luthra said.

The men's team will also compete in the Eisenhower Trophy scheduled October 28 to 31 in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires. The biennial event features 60 nations and India's best at the event was a 12th-place finish at the 1996 edition.

India have not won the team gold at the Asian Games since the 1982 edition, which was incidentally held in the national capital. The last individual Asian Games gold for the country in the event came in the 2002 Doha edition when Shiv Kapur finished on top.

Rashid also features in the team for the Asian Amateur Championships, the winner of which receives an invitation to the Masters and the runner-up gains entry to the International Final Qualifying for the British Open. The other members include Amit Luthra, Abhijeet Chaddha and Abhinav Lohan.

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