New Delhi, July 28 : He is happy but not elated. And definitely not content by finishing as the runner-up in FCG World Junior Golf Championship held in California recently. This Chandigarh-based 14-year-old golfer said: 'I honestly think I could have done better. Right now is the time to analyse the shortcomings.'

Neil Jolly, who faced the challenge of playing on two different golf courses over three rounds (Marriott Desert Springs and Valley Springs) and carded an overall six under-par finishing second behind J Hu, started playing golf at the age of four.

'I cannot pinpoint what attracted me towards the game when I was four years old, but there was a peculiar fascination towards it. However, after a few years, I focussed on other games like cricket. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, I returned to golf and picked it up again -- this time, very seriously. What I like most about it is that it is highly competitive and there is no politics -- it's just you and the course,' said Jolly.

In fact, Chandigarh is called the 'Cradle of Indian Golf'. Not just Jeev Milkha Singh, the first Indian to qualify for the European and Japanese PGA Tours, the Chandigarh Golf Club has been a playing field to some of India's top golfers including Shubahkar Sharma, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Ajitesh Sandhu, Harinder Gupta, Ranjit Singh, Sujjan Singh, Akshay Sharma, Karandeep Kochhar, Adil Bedi, Harmeet Kahlon, Amandeep Johl, Gurbaaz Mann, Irina Brar and Parneeta Garewal.

Jolly agrees that living in Chandigarh has been a great help to his training. 'The distances are less and golfing facilities are top of the line. One has players to look up to while training. Most importantly, my coach Jaskirat (Jesse) Singh Grewal lives here. I can approach him anytime. Even when I am travelling abroad for a tournament, and ask him a question, there is an immediate revert,' said the player who is currently placed second in the IGU category B rankings.

For this youngster studying in class IX, the day starts at 4:30 a.m., and there are alternate days of practice and fitness. Ask him how he balances academics and sports, and he smiles: 'Well, even I do not know that, but I do manage. The authorities at Strawberry Fields High School, where I study, have been extremely cooperative.'

Adding that his parents, Vikrum and Seema Jolly, have been a source of strength, he said: 'Not only do they support -- they are always honest with me. They will tell me if I am not putting in enough work, or overdoing things.'

Currently focussing on College Golf, he said: 'If I am really good by the time I am 17 years old, I will turn pro.'

Speaking to IANS from Paris, coach Jaskirat Singh (Jesse) Grewal, who is at the Olympic Games with the golfers he has trained -- Shubhankar Sharma, Gaganjit Bhullar, Aditi Ashok and Diksha Dagar -- who are participating in the games, said about Jolly, who he has been coaching for four years now: 'He is a hard-working sportsman who is very focussed on his game. The kind of effort he puts in every tournament is commendable -- his performance at FCG World Junior Golf Championship proves that. Also, he has been doing extremely well in the IGU circuit.'

Stressing that Chandigarh has always boasted of a good sports culture -- be it golf, shooting, tennis, or other games, Grewal said: 'The distances in this city are relatively less, so it is not a hassle to drop kids for training. Also, the Golf Club here is now focussing on juniors. In many Golf Clubs in the country, children are not even allowed on the greens. The Chandigarh Golf Association (CGA) has an excellent range and provides all facilities for juniors to play. Overall, Chandigarh is a great city for golfers. No wonder, many young golfers from across the country have been shifting here.'

Neil's father, Vikrum Jolly said that the young golfer has had a competitive spirit since childhood. 'He must be five or six years old, and we took him for a tournament at the Forest Hill Golf & Country Club resort in Chandigarh, where he came second. He was so disappointed that he started crying. He would come to our room early in the morning, and wake us up so we could take him for practice,' shared his father.

/IANS