The big question Monday at Hog Neck Golf Course in Easton was, “Who’s she?”
Authoring an even-par 72 and taking the lead in the Maryland Junior Girls championship, was a player no one knew.
Karishma Thiagaraj, participating in her first tournament in the United States after moving from India in March, was on her way to winning the title. With a 72-79 — 151, Thiagaraj, defeated the last two Maryland Public School champions, Caroline Sweet (154) of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lauren Smith (161) of Arundel.
Not bad for a 14-year-old who is entering her freshman year at Richard Montgomery High.
Karishma wasn’t the only one in her family who made a splash in the tournament. Sister Khushboo, 12, won the 13-and-under division by three strokes, shooting 80-85 — 165.
The girls moved to Rockville with their father, Charles, to further their golf ambitions and join their mother, an IT specialist who arrived in the U.S. on a work visa in 2006.
“My mom was here. She wanted us to come here and play golf,” said Karishma. “We have better opportunities here.”
In native Hyderabad — a city of 10 million — the Thiagaraj girls had their choice of three hardscrabble Army courses. Their father is a retired Colonel in the Indian Armed Forces.
“The courses here are more green,” said Karishma, who added that temperatures in Hyderabad reach 115 degrees in the summer.
Another thing the girls prefer about the U.S. is school. In India, education is so demanding that it leaves little time for sports.
These days, Charles Thiagaraj drives his girls to Northwest Golf Course in Silver Spring and oversees their progress. They don’t have a swing coach. Judging from the high, accurate 240-yard drives Karishma effortlessly pumps into the range at Northwest, she doesn’t need one, yet.
“They had a pro in India, but Karishma’s a natural player. When I first took them to play, Karishma had that swing,” said Charles Thiagaraj. “It’s not as natural for Khushboo.But she’s learning fast.”
