Local caddy boy turns champion

New Delhi:

Winner of the all India junior championship, Rashid Khan has roughed many things to set yet another example of local caddy boy turning champion. The narrow lanes of Nizamuddin take you to the Khan family. A family that literally lives, breathes and dreams golf. And this year has begun well for them with their 15-year-old son Rashid winning the Junior national golf championship at Bangalore just last week. Rashid's father Jabir Khan has been working at the pro shop of the Delhi Golf Club for over 25 years and his Uncle Maqbool is a golf professional. It turned out to be a classic case of golfing genes working their magic. "When he went first time to the golf course, one officer told me that Rashid can hit the ball very," said Maqbool, Rashid's uncle. "After that when ever I would play I would even make him hit 10-15 balls and teach him side by side about the grip, the stance etc. So he used to keep hitting and that's how he started," Maqbool added. Family support So an uncle helping with tips, a father making ends meet to get him the right equipment and a supportive mother who wants the very best for her son. "I would want him to become like Tiger Woods who is so respected all over the world. I want Rashid to play everywhere and make us proud and that would make me extremely happy," said Sumaya Begum, Rashid's mother. Coming from an under privileged background has not really been such a hinderance, since Rashid has been nurtured by the training programme of the Delhi Golf Club which has several caddies and their children taken care of, so that they can dream on and perform. "I want to concentrate on the Asian junior masters, the Asic Pacific for juniors and the world junior championships. I want to perform well. I don't want to beat anyone in particular but instead concentrate on my game so one can notice that I'm playing well," said Rashid. From playing with small marbles to hitting relatively larger golf balls, Rashid Khan has definitely come a long way. While Team India's silver at the Doha Asiad has just whetted his appetite, the national junior champion hopes to make his mark at the World junior golf championship later this year.

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