When most girls her age choose to hang out with friends or go shopping, Gauri Monga prefers to toil hard at the Delhi Golf Course. “You need to sacrifice something to gain something,” believes the 21-year-old Delhi-based golfer.
Gauri, who turned professional recently at the women’s Indian Open after remaining the country’s No. 1 amateur golfer for the past six years, says she will get all the enjoyment once she achieves her goal in life. “I want to become India’s No. 1 golfer and play on the Ladies European Tour,” comes Gauri’s prompt reply, when asked about her ambitions.
The golfer, who won the All India Amateur Championships title three times, had finished as the top Indian (fifth place) at the women’s Indian Open last year. She had a top-10 finish at the tri-sanctioned event this year as well.
And as the daughter of Aashana Monga, a former captain of the Noida Golf Club, golf was bound to captivate her from an early age. But, before picking up the golf club, Gauri was an ace dribbler who used to play a key role in her school basketball team.
“I was enthusiastic about sports. I used to play a lot of sports and as I was quite tall and so I was chosen for the basketball team. I was an active member of the team for almost three years before I fell in love with golf,” she recalls, adding, “My mom, who has been a reputed golfer herself, encouraged my brother and then one day, she asked me to accompany her to the greens. I instantly liked the game. Whatever I know in golf today is because of my mother and brother (Arjun). She has been the one behind my rise,” she says.
Gauri — who has a course record of 11-under at the DGC — is now planning to play all the Women’s Golf Association of India tournaments and as many Asian Tour events as she can in the coming season.
Apart from playing golf, Gauri is passionate about keeping fit and works out regularly. “If I am not playing golf, I am working out in the gym. That is also something I cannot live without,” she adds. She looks back at her younger days with a sheepish smile, “I was like an elephant when I started playing golf. I was a massive kid and for the first few years, I controlled my food and diet immensely. I must have lost 25-30 kilos in the past few years,” she reveals.
And that has become a part and parcel of her regime and life now. “I am hitting longer now, and with more power. I go to the gym five times a week and I really enjoy that time,” says Gauri, who has had a third place finish at the Queens Sirikit Cup in 2011 — the best-ever finish by an Indian individual in the history of the event.
A second year business management student at IILM, Delhi, Gauri calls herself “a homely person.” It was also the main reason she returned home from Arizona in the US, where she enrolled herself after the Class XII. “I was so homesick that I came back. I cannot stay away from home and am very happy here,” she says.
The most striking aspect of this young golfer’s personality is her fondness for bright colours.
Her colourful attire singles her out on a golf course. “I just love colours. I love fashion. It’s a feel good factor for me when I am wearing certain bright colours. While I don’t follow any brands, I love the work of Shantanu and Nikhil. They in fact design for me during my tournaments,” adds Gauri.
And since she does look quite svelte and chic, we wonder if there is any move from the greens to the ramp. “May be, yes. If Shantanu and Nikhil ask me, then I would definitely go for it.”
