BENGALURU: If one happens to visit 15-year-old golfer Avani Prashanth’s home in the city, the trophy cabinet provides a glimpse of her talent. There are around 90 trophies which she has won since she began her golfing training in 2012. In fact, the cabinet runneth over with her collection of prizes with some of them being accommodated in other rooms of the house.
With the rapid stride Avani is taking up the sport at such a young age, the need of another cabinet is sure to arise. Some of her titles include a couple of Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour and the All India Ladies Amateur title among others. However, the biggest highlight of her career came unannounced recently when she was invited for the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championships, scheduled in the USA from March 30 to April 2.
The competition comprises top amateur players from around the world and Avani is eager to compete against them. “I did not expect an invitation to come from Augusta. I had only played one tournament before this, which actually qualifies me for the tournament. So it came as a surprise. I am really happy and excited to play at the iconic venue. I am also confident in my game. If things go well, I will be able to get very good scores,” said Avani, who is a Class 9 student at Greenwood High International School.
One should not be surprised with the air of confidence she oozes in her game. In fact, she took up the sport when she was just three years old. Her father MS Prashanth, who also loves golf, was taken aback when Avani started to hit the ball quite well with good hand-eye coordination — a key point in golf. This was in Manesar, Gurgaon. In her initial tryst with the sport, she spent hours at the golf range with dedication and that is how her journey began.
“So what convinced us then and there was the kind of dedication she showed initially in the sport. That was an important cue. For a child of her age, it is very difficult to hold their attention in one thing for a long time, but she has been quite focused,” said her father.
Avani was initially trained by coach Nathan Sundaram for a period of around seven to eight months. But for work reasons, Prashanth and family moved to Nigeria. After witnessing the kind of progress she showed in a short period, he had one condition before moving to the African nation — he wanted a golf club membership there so that Avani’s training does not get hampered. In fact, she showed major progress in the next couple of years. The Bengaluru girl even made her debut in the Kids Golf International in Nigeria and triumphed in 2012. It opened the doors for her at the US Kids European Championship in Scotland, where she performed well above her age competitors too.
After returning from Nigeria in 2014 along with her family, she has been spending longer hours on the course to improve her game as well. The numerous titles are a testament of her hard work, but her real test lies in March at Augusta, where she will travel with her father.