Ties to Indian culture and family support propel golfers of Indian origin to PGA Tour success

Albany (Bahamas), Dec 5 (PTI) The Hero World Challenge 2024 has brought a unique spotlight on golfers of Indian origin, with three debutants -- Sahith Theegala, Akshay Bhatia, and Aaron Rai -- representing a growing influence of the country's culture and family values in global golf.

The trio, among eight first-time participants at the prestigious PGA Tour event hosted by Tiger Woods, expressed pride in their heritage and the support they've received from fans across the US, UK, and India. They also highlighted the pivotal role their families have played in shaping their careers.

Rai, who has competed in India before, spoke about the deep cultural ties that British Asians share with their Indian heritage.

“Half of my upbringing is very British, but again all of my close family is Indian origin. That culture runs very deep even in British Asians," he said.

"Certainly this year has felt different for me even being in the U.K. with kind of British Asian kids and families taking more of an interest in following a couple of events that I played in Europe which really felt quite different.

“It's amazing and hopefully all three of us set good examples. I think that's all we can do. Whatever effect that it has is something that we can't control, but I think if we keep playing well on the course and keep holding ourselves the right way away from the course, then hopefully it's only going to create positivity.” Bhatia, whose mother is currently in India for a family wedding, shared his excitement about visiting India soon.

"Obviously I think all of us being fairly young and relatively new to the Tour, just to be able to grow the game and inspire kids and inspire athletes in the U.S. and in India is pretty amazing.

“I'm hoping to get there really soon, go to India. My mom's at a wedding this week there. Either had to spend three days at a wedding there or come here. It's such a blessing for us that we just play golf, but yeah, we can inspire kids who want to be like us one day.” Theegala, who celebrated his 27th birthday on Wednesday with his parents in attendance, was animated about his recent trip to India.

"I love my Indian culture and heritage. I was just in India three weeks ago, and the love and feedback I get from there is incredible," he said.

Family Support: The Cornerstone of Success =============================== The players credited their families for the sacrifices and support that paved the way for their achievements.

"Family's everything, especially in our culture," Bhatia said. "When you're an athlete, having people sacrifice everything for you and support you no matter what makes a huge impact on how we are as people and athletes." Theegala praised his parents for striking a delicate balance between their Indian upbringing and adapting to life in California.

"I have the greatest set of parents as well. It was a tough balance. I don't know how they did it, growing up in India and then trying to balance the academic, the cultural, the new society, new life they live in California. They were able to balance it out so well with me and my brother, giving me not only athletic opportunities but instilling academic importance." Rai, known for his quiet demeanor, spoke about the teamwork within his family.

"I was extremely fortunate with my dad, he was very good at tennis but then put a lot into my golf from a young age. My mom worked a couple of jobs and kind of took care of the house stuff. So they worked together amazingly as a team. My siblings were amazing growing up as well,” he said. PTI Cor ATK