We just needed a reason and we found it. After two rounds of the Karnataka Open Amateur, Chikka has established a six-shot lead with a two-day total of seven-under 137. It is impressive because our amateur circuit usually doesn't see the score go so low but we must take into account that the tournament is being played at Eagleton, his home club. It would have been real fun to follow the leadergroup today, Chikka-Rashid-Rahul Bakshi, but since we couldn't do that we will just keep a keen eye on the reports coming in. In the meanwhile, here are a few excerpts from a nice story on Chikka written by Tiki Rajwi-:
"Thirty kilometres from Bangalore, there is a village with a tongue-twister of a name - Rangagoadanaddi. Four years ago, an eager 11-year-old, the son of Seenappa, a mason, and Revamma, would be seen running from this village to the nearby Eagleton Golf Resort to pick golf balls on weekends, and to watch the ‘others’ play their rounds. That was then. Now 15, the little ball-boy has grown into a lean youngster, with a suggestion of a moustache, and a searching smile. The Chikka of today is national junior golf champion, who has impressed spectators at international golfing events."
A little bit about his introduction to the game-:
"Chikkarangappa was the discovery of Vijay Divecha, director of the South Zone Junior Coaching Programme of the Indian Golf Union (IGU), who caught him swinging a golf club four years ago. 'He asked me whether I would like to play. I did not understand, because he’d asked me in English. I knew only Kannada. So a friend had to translate,' Chikka says in flawless English which he rigorously developed alongside his golf. His new life began as caddy to a Japanese. 'I would get up at 4.30 a.m. and race to the course. I would caddy till 7.30 a.m., go home for breakfast and come back to train throughout the day.' When the Japanese left, he presented his eager young caddy with a set of women’s clubs; short, light ones."
And our favourite bit from the story-:
"Chikka likes watching WWE Wrestling on TV and uses the same set of clubs he was presented by the Golf Foundation and HSBC four years ago.'Today my mother is thrilled to see all the trophies that I’ve won.' From someone who pasted questions that he would be asked in interviews on the wall to improve his English, Chikkarangappa has come a long way."
Many feel Chikka is wasting his time playing on the junior circuit and he should graduate to playing full-time on the amateur circuit where the competition promises to be tougher. A few months back, he was feted by the Indian Golf Union as the top junior golfer and in an interaction we had with him then, he said, "I'd like to play as a junior till I secure a win outside the country."
Interesting, considering that with the backing of the R&A, the IGU sends the juniors to many international tournaments to places like the UK, Australia, Japan and many others. The opportunities narrow down for amateurs who have to be content with tournaments in the near vicinity, or at best with Malaysia or Singapore.
And now that we have devoted our longest post to Chikka, we sure hope that he justifies this with a win!
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