Senior Pioneer golfer Saptak Talwar became the first Sacred Heart University golfer and first Indian to qualify for the PGA Tour Canada – Mackenzie Tour. The Pioneer secured a membership in the PGA Tour Canada – Mackenzie Tour after finishing tied-4th (T4) out of 106 players with only the top six to receive a tour card.
According to indiangolfdigest.com, over the week of March 9-12, Talwar shot 69-74-67-69 (9-under, 279) at Mission Inn Club & Resort in Florida via a qualifying school, which was independent of Sacred Heart University.
Talwar takes great pride in being the first Sacred Heart student to qualify for a PGA Tour card.
“It gives me great pride to be able to take Sacred Heart’s name further into the golfing world with this achievement,” said Talwar. “We have a great golf program here that nurtures great talent and I hope through this, I can attract more and more people to the school as well as the golf program.”
Talwar started playing golf at the age of five in his hometown of New Delhi, India.
“I began first playing golf when I was five years of age so I’ve been hooked to this game from a very young age,” said Talwar. “I played most of my junior golf in India until 2015, which was when I moved to Bluffton, S.C. at a golf academy, International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA). Then I traveled around the U.S., playing junior golf tournaments, and eventually got recruited by Coach McGreevy here at SHU.”
Talwar’s three wins while at Sacred Heart has led to his membership at the Mackenzie Tour.
“I convinced myself that this year was a blessing in disguise for me because with all tournament golf on pause for everyone around the world, I could take the opportunity to really uplift my game during this break and come out a whole different golfer on the other side,” said Talwar.
Talwar discussed his strongest point on the field that boosts his motivation in every match.
“My strongest asset I would probably say is my mind. I think I’m a very smart golfer, so even on bad days I am able to grind it out and post a score that I can bounce back from the next day,” said Talwar.
The men’s golf team will start their season on March 14 at the St. Peter’s Peacock invitational at Fox Hollow Golf Club in Branchburg, N.J.
