Rahul Bajaj (golfer)

Rahul Bajaj (born 18 August 1986) is an Indian professional golfer. As an amateur, he was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Asian Games. Bajaj turned professional a year later at the 2011 Indian Open. He played on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) between from 2012 to 2018[1] and won once on the PGTI's Feeder Tour, in 2012.[2] He also played on the Asian Tour,[3] Asian Development Tour (ADT), the MENA Tour.[4]

Rahul Bajaj
Bajaj at the Noida Golf Course
Personal information
Born (1986-08-18) 18 August 1986
Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Sporting nationality India
ResidenceNew Delhi, India
Career
Turned professional2011
Former tour(s)Asian Tour
Professional Golf Tour of India
Professional wins1
Medal record
2010 Asian Games
Silver medal – second place2010 GuangzhouMen's team

Bajaj currently teaches golf at Noida Golf Course[5] and runs his own online golf equipment company.[6]

Background

Rahul was born in Jammu, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. His father is Col. Pradeep Kumar Bajaj, a now retired Army Officer. His mother is Suman Bajaj is a designer who owns her own boutique. His sister Shweta Bajaj is a freelance journalist[5] who has in the past worked for Zee News and News X.

Bajaj went to Army Public School in Noida. He also has a Commerce degree from Delhi University's School of Open Learning. As a child, Rahul watched his father play golf at Noida Golf Course (NGC). He took up the game himself at the age of 15.[7]

Amateur career

In 2006, Bajaj started participating in amateur tournaments organized by the Indian Golf Union. He won his first amateur tournament at the Jaypee Amateur Golf Tournament in 2008 by a single shot over Gagan Verma.[8][9] Other notable wins include the Samarvir Sahi Amateur in 2009,[10] and the Chandigarh Open in 2010. During this span, he also finished in the top-3 in a few amateur events[11][12][13]

Bajaj was part of the Asian Games team in 2010[14] that won the team silver in Guangzhou.[15][16] Other team members included Rashid Khan, Abhinav Lohan, and Abhijit Singh Chadha. He was also part of the team that won silver at the 2010 South Asian Games.[17][18] The team at Dhaka included Chikkarangappa, and Ashbeer Singh Saini who were joined by Khan and Bajaj.[19][20] As part of the Indian Golf Team, Bajaj represented his country at the 2010 Eisenhower Trophy[21] where the team finished T45.[22]

Professional career

Bajaj turned professional at the 2011 Indian Open.[23] Between 2012 and 2018, he played on the Professional Golf Tour of India.[1] He has also played events on the Asian Tour,[3] Asian Development Tour (ADT), the MENA Tour.[4]

He won his first event as a professional at the 2012 PGTI Feeder Tour event held at Rambagh Golf Club in Jaipur.[24] Bajaj shot scores of 69, 68, 67 over three days to beat his nearest competitors Mandeo Singh Pathania and Akshay Sharma by three shots.[2]

Two years later, Bajaj lost a playoff at the same event to Akshay Sharma to finish second.[25][26] In 2016, he led the field after the first round of the Asian Tour's Qualifying School Final Stage.[27]

Post-2018, Bajaj has reduced the number of events that he plays professionally to concentrate on teaching golf at Noida Golf Course. He also runs an online golf equipment company called Golf Garage India.

Amateur wins
  • 2008 Jaypee Amateur Golf Tournament
  • 2009 Samarvir Sahi Amateur
  • 2010 Chandigarh Open

Professional wins (1)

Other wins (1)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runners-up
1 25 Oct 2012 PGTI Feeder Tour Jaipur −6 (69-68-67=204) 3 strokes India Mandeo Singh Pathania, India Akshay Sharma

Team appearances

Amateur

References
  1. "Rahul Bajaj – 2018". Professional Golf Tour of India. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  2. "2012 PGTI Feeder Tour – Jaipur". Professional Golf Tour of India. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  3. "Rahul Bajaj". Official World Golf Ranking. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  4. "Rahul Bajaj". MENA Tour. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  5. "Teamwork: Golfers, clubs come to the aid of daily-wage caddies". Hindustan Times. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  6. "Should golf, ideal for social distancing, be allowed to open for play?". The Financial Express. 17 May 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  7. "Rahul brings laurels to NGC..." (PDF). Hole in One - Official Newsletter of the Noida Golf Club. September 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  8. Banerjee, Donald. "Rahul clinches Jaypee Open title – Manav fires day's best card to finish third". Chandigarh Tribune. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  9. Banerjee, Donald. "Jaypee Open set for exciting finish – Gagan Verma hangs on to one-stroke lead". Chandigarh Tribune. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  10. "Bajaj takes title". Indian Express. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  11. "Rashid clinches LG Western India Amateur title". Zee News. Press Trust of India. 27 November 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  12. "Amanjyot wins maiden amateur title". mykhel.com. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  13. "Pugh the one to watch". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  14. Satya, R. (7 August 2010). "Rashid to lead Indian challenge at Asian Games". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  15. "Rashid takes India to team silver in Asiad golf". TwoCircles.net. 20 November 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  16. "COVID-19 pandemic tough on young golfers: Jeev". Business Standard India. Press Trust of India. 22 April 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  17. "India win silver in South Asian Games". The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 4 February 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  18. "Jeev Milkha Singh: Suspension of tournaments tough on young golfers". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  19. "South Asian Games: Unstoppable India bags 12 out of 13 gold on offer". DNA India. 4 February 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  20. "India win silver in South Asian Games". The Times of India. 4 February 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  21. Verma, Anupam (8 September 2010). "Teen brigade for Asiad challenge". mint. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  22. "Team and Player - World Amateur Team Championship". golfstat.com. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  23. "Asian Games silver medalist Bajaj turns pro at Indian Open". The Times of India. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  24. "Rahul Bajaj". Professional Golf Tour of India. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  25. "Akshay Sharma's timely eagle helps him clinch a playoff victory against Rahul Bajaj in Jaipur". Professional Golf Tour of India. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  26. "PGTI Feeder Tour - Jaipur 2014". Professional Golf Tour of India. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  27. "Rahul Bajaj leads after first round at Asian Tour Q-School". www.sportskeeda.com. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
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