No Indian player has yet qualified for the 126th US Open, which will be played at the demanding Shinnecock Hills next month, but it will be the first major championship in the history of golf to feature five players of Indian heritage – reigning PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai, Akshay Bhatia, Sahith Theegala, Sudarshan Yellamaraju and Manav Shah.
That’s more than 3 per cent of the field of 156.
While Indian fans are aware of Rai, Bhatia, Theegala, and now the self-taught Canadian Yellamaraju, who has been exceptional over the past few months, Shah is the surprise packet.
On May 18, playing the final qualifier against a stacked field at Dallas Athletic Club, Shah shot rounds of 66 and 71 to finish fourth and ahead of several superstars and multiple champions on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour. That punched him his first ticket to a major championship.
The 34-year-old American from Bakersfield, California, is also the one with the deepest ties to Indian golf. After being a part of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Shah has travelled around the world to pursue a career that has taken him to far-flung places in the USA, Canada and Latin America. For the past two years, he has plied his trade in Asia and has become one of the latest signings of the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) this year.
Over the past 10 years of trying to establish himself as a professional, Shah has often joked with his friends that he’d retire once he plays in his first major championship. That dream is about to come true, but Shah is somehow certain that the US Open experience will kickstart a new inning of his career.
“It’s hard to comprehend. I mean, it still hasn’t hit me that I’m even going to play it. But I’m not surprised at the same time,” said Shah, who has had three top-five finishes in IGPL this season already.
“I’ve always had the belief I could do it. It was just a matter of when it happens. This game has become so tight and the margins have become so small, there really are no guarantees of what can happen out on the golf course.
“I don’t know what the week holds for me, but this is why I have worked so hard for all these years. And even though I have told my friends several times that I will retire after playing my first major, I think it is going to act as a springboard for me. It will make me more hungry… more driven.”
The US Open is the most brutal test in golf. The United States Golf Association (USGA) ensures that the golf courses, and the way they are set up, thoroughly examine the skills of the world’s elite players. Shinnecock Hills is no exception. The last time the US Open was held there in 2018 was also the last major championship when no player could break par. Brooks Koepka eventually won with an over-par score of 1-over.
“Yeah…we all know what a test the US Open can be. But I think I have an advantage over the rest of the field. None of them has played the DLF Golf & Country Club!” quipped Shah.
“I plan to go there during the weekend and play a couple of rounds. But I have a good idea of what to expect. I watched the videos of the earlier US Opens there and I know it is going to be a firm and very fast golf course. Putting on those slopy and undulating greens will be key. I have been driving the ball really well this year and my iron play has been much better. So, I hope I will have a good week.
“I have had a complete mindset shift this year. It’s led me to wanting to play a certain style of golf, and for various reasons – mostly mental – I hadn’t been playing that way the last few years. I’ve really started to do that this year, and I started to see some better results. I was able to play golf tournaments with the attitude that I wanted to.”
There is another ‘rookie’ problem that Shah is sure he won’t face.
“It’s my first major, but I don’t think I will be starstruck. I have been playing golf at this level for a long time, so I have played with almost every player in the field before. Now… it would have been different if Tiger (Woods) was playing the tournament,” said Shah, who played on the Korn Ferry Tour and his only win as a professional was at the Quito Open in Ecuador on the PGA Tour LatinoAmerica in 2022.
“But I was part of the UCLA team that featured Patrick Cantlay, and I spent some years with Jake Knapp on that team. I have played against most of the American stars during my college days. Sahith is from the same area as me, and we have been friends. I am hoping those are three players I can get practice rounds with during the week of the championship.”
The US Open is Shah’s favourite major championship, slightly ahead of the Masters.
“It was always the US Open. Because, to me, it’s the purest form of competition. Anyone can sign up and play well enough to get in. There are no restrictions. It’s a dream that anyone can achieve,” said Shah, who did one year of pre-med in San Diego before deciding to give up on medicine and concentrate 100 per cent on golf.
“The Masters would be a close second because there are so many criteria and invitations. You have to be one of the top players in the world to make it to Augusta National.”
Shah said every year as a professional golfer has been a massive learning experience, especially the last three years in Asia and India. He is confident that all these experiences will come in handy at the US Open.
“This is my 10th season as a pro, and I think every year has taught me something valuable, whether it’s playing in Canada, South America, Korn Ferry, Asia, everywhere I’ve gone. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and I believe that I am better as a player,” Shah explains.
“The last few years in Asia have taught me a lot. I have done a bit of soul-searching, and I’ve become more grateful for the game. Also, I’ve learned there are many different ways to play golf that you don’t often see in America. I think that every little coin you put in the piggy bank, helps you with something.”
Joining IGPL was a conscious and deliberate decision to get closer to his country of origin.
“Ever since I played my first event in India on the Asian Tour, I kind of knew I wanted to make India a part of my schedule throughout the year in some fashion,” said Shah.
“I thought IGPL, for me, was the best way to do that. It doesn’t really clash with any other major tours throughout the season. It’s a nice way to stay in competition shape, and play mainly in India against a lot of friends that I made over the last few years. It’s been a great Tour so far.”
As a parting question, I had to ask Manav how he managed to think of golf as a profession, especially as his family has a thriving motel business. What thought could have possibly prompted him to go for such a demanding career choice?
“My dad (Sanjay) got me into golf. He’s always been very supportive when I was a kid. And Gujaratis usually don’t play sports, right? The choice was between going to a med school, or getting into the business with dad,” explains Shah.
“A good job is like guaranteed paychecks, while nothing is guaranteed in golf. But I fell in with the game in college. Because I would go to the golf course after my pre-med classes and others would go to the library, I quickly realised I am not going to make a great doctor if I keep this up.
“But I just felt there’s something very honest about golf. You get what you sow. I had the support of my family, and the green light from my dad to go and chase my dreams, and I am very grateful for that.”
