Aman Gupta, a 24-year-old Indian-American golfer, made a name for himself as a semifinalist at the highly competitive 2020 U.S. Amateur Championship. After completing three years at perhaps the leading college program in America, at Oklahoma State University, he chose to turn professional in May 2022, opting to forgo his final year. Since then, Gupta has primarily competed on the Challenge Tour, Europe’s second-tier professional circuit, receiving invitations to participate.
Last week, Gupta finished 3rd at the First Stage of European Tour Qualifying held at The Players Club in Bristol, England. He now goes to Stage-II, scheduled for October 31 to November 3 in Spain.
In November 2021, Gupta was expected to represent India at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Abu Dhabi due to his Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status. However, he opted to play in a college team event that same week, missing the chance to play under Indian colours.
Born in South Carolina, Gupta holds U.S. citizenship but is also eligible to represent India through his OCI card. His father, Kapil, is originally from Amritsar, while his mother, Aradhana, grew up in Mumbai.
Gupta is another one of the many Indian Americans aiming to follow in the footsteps of newly minted superstars Sahith Theegala and Akshay Bhatia, who have set the PGA Tour on fire in 2024 and proved that with the right environment and training conditions, Indians have what it takes to excel in world golf.
A brilliant seven under par round of 63 sees Aman Gupta join Jimmy Zheng at the top of the leaderboard after two rounds at The Players Club.
They lead by two on six under par for the week. #DPWTQSchool
— DP World Tour Q-School (@DPWTQSchool) August 28, 2024
Incidentally Rayhan Thomas, a former teammate of Gupta at Oklahoma State University who grew up in Dubai and won last month on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), will also play next week at another First Stage Qualifier for Europe and try for one of the top 15-20 spots at the Second Stage, where he will join Gupta.
Photo – DPWT