SAGA Celebrates 20th Annual Golf Open In NJ
Photo: SAGA Tour 2024 Champion Deep Thapliyal
LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP, NJ – The South Asian Golf Association (SAGA) held its 20th Annual Golf Outing on September 21 as a celebration of the game, community, and friendly competition.
The daylong event brought together over 70 enthusiastic golfers at Cobblestone Creek Country Club, here. Everybody enjoyed an unforgettable day on the greens with clear skies, perfect weather, and a spirit of camaraderie.
Known for its thrilling competition and warm, welcoming atmosphere, the SAGA Open has established itself as a premier event for the South Asian golfing community. Using a handicapped-based scoring system, players of all skill levels are in contention to win the year-long competition.
This year’s final tournament kicked off with a shotgun start. Both seasoned players and eager newcomers teed off for a chance to win prestigious prizes, including a Mercedes-Benz for a hole-in-one, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Princeton.
The Anish Joshi Memorial Trophy, awarded to the overall 2024 SAGA Tour Champion, was the highlight of the day, which comes with a one-week vacation anywhere in the world, and donated by Dr. Anil & Mrs. Anju Joshi, parents of late Anish Joshi – a former member. Deep Thapliyal was declared the winner of the Anish Joshi Memorial Trophy.
Other SAGA Tour 2024 winners:
For Flight 1, Deep Thapliyal, Varun Malhotra, and Amit Parekh took first, second, and third place, respectively.
For Flight 2, Niraj Desai, Jassi Singh, and Shashi Gautam took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, respectively.
For Flight 3, Ankit Patel, Haresh Majmundar, and Jayesh Parikh claimed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
Ronak Patel, who reduced handicap from 20.3 to 14.7, was declared Most Improved Golfer.
The UnitedHealthcare Cup was awarded to the victorious SAGA ‘The Gate Squad’ Team.
In keeping with SAGA’s commitment to nurturing young talent, three deserving students were awarded the SAGA Junior / Anish Joshi College Scholarships ($1,650 each) for their academic and golfing achievements: Tanya Chowdary – Bentley University, MA, Tanvi Samayam – Nova Southeastern University, FL, and Vikram Bajaj – Stonybrook University, NY.
As the sun set over Cobblestone Creek Country Club, golfers and guests gathered in the ballroom for a fun-filled awards ceremony filled with laughter and stories.
SAGA founder-president Mahesh Yadav thanked all participants, sponsors, and volunteers for contributing to the successful and memorable event. The awards reception was followed by dinner, dancing, and raffle prizes.
For more: www.sagagolf.com
