Shubham Jaglan, Shaurya Bhattacharya & Pukhraj Singh: Young Indian Golfers Make S’pore Open Debut

This year’s Singapore Open presented by The Business Times, being played from April 23 to 26 at Sentosa Golf Club, has 11 Indian golfers, the same number of Singaporean entries. This includes a mix of veterans and a few who are making their debut.

Shubham Jaglan was scouted in his village in Panipat when recruiters were dazzled by his skill in spite of no formal training.

Photo: Asian Tour

The youngest among the Indians is Shubham Jaglan, 21, who finds himself in a full-circle moment as he has dreamt of swinging his club on the Serapong fairway since he first started playing golf at age six.

“I’m a bit of a golf nerd, so I appreciate the architecture of the course, and recognised so many of the holes from all the years of watching the Singapore Open on television,” he said. 

One of his highlights is how the Singapore skyline can be seen after the tee shot on the second hole because of its elevation. 

Shubham, who is in his rookie year as a pro, was a child prodigy, winning over 100 events before turning 18. At age 10, he won the Junior World Golf Championships 2015 in San Diego. 

He continued his success as the first Indian to win the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 men’s golf championship, the top annual United States collegiate golf championship.

“Golf is my livelihood, and I feel extremely blessed to be able to do what I love and play in one of the best golf courses in the world,” he said.

Shaurya Bhattacharya started playing golf at 11, when his family stayed opposite the Army Golf Club in New Delhi.

Photo: Asian Tour

Another Indian youngster, Shaurya Bhattacharya, 23, is playing in his first Asian tour this year, after clinching his tour card by finishing second in the Asian Tour Qualifying School.

“I want to show that playing on the Indian Tour for a few years first is a great stepping stone to play on international tours because each course in India has different conditions to work under, and there are plenty of events to practice with,” he said. In just the past year, Shaurya played 29 events in India. 

To prepare for the four-day Singapore Open, the Indian golfers have all been practising, so their exploration of Singapore has been confined to Sentosa island.  

“I can hear the screams of people at Universal Studios during practice, so I do hope I get to explore a little bit,” said Shaurya. 

But practice has come in handy, because of Serapong’s 6,765m, par-72 length. “This course is much longer than others, with a lot of hazards,” said Shaurya, “So you have to be extremely focused to make those long tee shots.”

Pukhraj Singh Gill was invited to the Asian Tour after being the Order of Merit champion in the Indian Golf Premier League in 2025.

Asian Tour

For Shaurya’s roommate, Pukhraj Singh Gill, the unpredictability of the Singaporean weather has been noteworthy.

“I didn’t expect so many rain delays. We can be playing in the sun and then suddenly have to take shelter,” the 29-year-old said. 

This is not his first time playing in Singapore, as he played at the Singapore Junior Golf Championship 2013 at the Keppel Club. However, it will be his first time playing in Sentosa.

“Practising with other people on this course has been a great learning opportunity,” he said. “You learn all the different ways people approach a new environment and give tips to each other.”

He also comes from a golfing family, with his younger brother Digraj Singh Gill, 23, and his cousin Sukhraj Singh Gill, 18, playing on the tour this year. 

“We are all playing on different continents, my brother in Mauritius, my cousin in Gurgaon (India), and me in Singapore,” he said. “Golf is pretty much the religion of our family.”