New Delhi, Born into a Gujarati family where medicine was considered the natural career path, Indian-origin golfer Manav Shah chose fairways over medical school and will, now, tee off at his maiden US Open after grinding on public courses and global qualifying circuits for years.
The California-born Shah, whose parents migrated from India in the 1980s, said reconnecting with his roots through the Asian Tour and the Indian Golf Premier League strengthened the self-belief, eventually carrying him into golf’s toughest major.
“The players on the tour and all the guys I’ve met from India have been very welcoming to me. It kind of was a full circle moment for me and brought me closer to my roots, closer to my culture,” Shah told PTI during an interview.
“I’ve always spoken Gujarati, but now, we all speak in Hindi. Just being more connected to my roots, I think it, honestly, gave me that sort of belief and confidence, that I could achieve things that maybe weren’t expected prior.”
Shah said his Indian identity was never distant despite being born and raised in the United States.
“I’ve always been tied to the motherland. My dad’s from Gujarat, my mom is from Bombay. We always went back every year to visit my grandparents in Gujarat and Bombay. India is obviously very home to me and it’s amazing to be able to represent my culture at the US Open.”
The 34-year-old earned his spot in next month’s US Open after finishing overall 5-under-par at the demanding 36-hole final qualifying event held at the Dallas Athletic Club earlier this month.
However, the sport entered his life almost accidentally. He began his time at UCLA as a pre-med major but eventually pivoted away to manage the rigorous demands of collegiate golf with the UCLA Bruins.
“My extended family are in medicine. That was always kind of the Gujarati line of work in our household, we go to med school, become a doctor, make the world a better place, save lives. That was always the route chosen for me,” Shah said.
“But I realised medicine probably wasn’t going to be my thing when everyone after class went to the library and I was going to the golf course to tee off,” he laughs.
Shah honed his game by grinding on the local public and municipal courses of his hometown, Bakersfield, far away from the elite golf’s glamour.
He said those difficult beginnings shaped his resilience and creativity.
“I didn’t have the facilities a lot of other players had but growing up at a public course honestly was a blessing. It made me creative, built resilience and also gave me gratitude for where I came from.”
Shah, who graduated from the University of California with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations, believes Indian-origin golfers are finally beginning to break barriers globally because the talent pool has deepened considerably over the last decade.
“When I was growing up there still weren’t that many Indian-origin players in college golf,” he said.
“Over the last five or six years there’s been a huge influx of golfers around the world and now you’re seeing more Indian-origin players hone their skills and come on to the global stage,” he said referring to the likes of Aaron Rai, Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia.
Sport must avoid preserve global pathways for emerging professionals
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Shah also weighed in on the uncertainty surrounding professional golf amid the continuing PGA Tour-LIV Golf divide, saying the sport must preserve multiple pathways for aspiring players rather than evolve into an exclusive structure dominated by a few tours.
The long-discussed merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has been thrown into complete disarray by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund , announcing that it will snap all funding from LIV Golf after the 2026 season.
Asked if he is in favour of total reunification of the sport or he worries that a closed shop merger might restrict the global qualifying pathways, Shah said: “From a player standpoint, it’s very difficult to get onto the PGA Tour. I think the more pathways and more tours that we as professionals have to play golf, I think it’s better.
“It affects us in the way that it just gives a little more uncertainty of what future tours look like. But as players, we have to keep our game as sharp as we can and play well every time we tee it up. The chips may fall where they may with all this, all the tour drama going on, but I think it’ll work out, the future of golf looks bright.”
As he prepares for his first appearance at Shinnecock Hills , Shah expects the mental challenge to outweigh the technical demands during the event.
“Obviously, it’s the hardest tournament in the world. It truly tests every part of your game. And more importantly, it tests your mind, attitude and belief.
“Everyone at that level hits it good, chips good and putts good. The US Open strips everything away. It becomes a dogfight. If there’s one thing I want flawless that week, it’s my mind,” he signed off.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
