MIND OVER MATTER
again. In the meantime, he had no time to lose.
“For me, as I couldn’t move, I took that time
to excel in my studies and practice for future
tests like the SAT, which is more important than
people think.”
His debut after the accident was at the HJGT
National Championship that took place on
December 7 - 8th. After a slow start in the first
9 holes, Sid was able to finish strong to cap the
round with a +5, 77. “That showed me I had the
capacity to score” said Sid, “ the next day I did
the same thing, I wasn’t even hitting it that good
but I just told myself: “ok, this is an easy up and
down, I can do this, I can make this putt, just
stay confident” ‘’
“FOR ME, AS I COULDN’T MOVE,
I TOOK THAT TIME TO EXCEL IN
MY STUDIES AND PRACTICE FOR
FUTURE TESTS LIKE THE SAT,
WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN PEOPLE THINK.”
After a final round of +2, 74, Sid was in the Top
10 in a field of 72 players. Being tied for 6th
place exceeded his expectations and he was
very happy with his overall performance, as he
didn’t have it easy.
On reflection, 2019 was a challenging year
for Sid. As a fourteen year old, he could have
chosen to pursue a path that did not allow him
to pursue his passion and dreams. However, he
showed a lot of grit and character. He learned
a couple lessons along the way: “I learned
that I can push myself hard and I didn’t let
myself down by the situation. My parents were
very important, they told me to keep being
disciplined. I learned to stay patient, especially
when I was starting off and not getting the
results that I wanted”.
He had one last thing to say to other juniors
golfers and athletes who are facing a similar
situation or dealing with injuries: “Take it easy.
At the beginning, stick to the basics, posture,
body rotation, drills, start slowly and start
building out. Make sure you are also improving
on something else in your daytime”.
7