Dubai’s Ananyaa Sood shines on international stage to finish second in US Kids World Teen Championship

Indian-born Dubai-resident Ananyaa Sood showcased her skills and determination to clinch second place in the Girls 13-year-old Division of the US Kids World Teen Championship held at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA

Ananyaa shot rounds of 74, 72 and 72, for a 54-hole total of two-over par 218.

Ananyaa, who also recently won the 13 year-old Division of the US Kids European Championship in Scotland, is a member of The Els Club, Dubai and is coached by Sujjan Singh at the Claude Harmon CH3 Academy at the club.

The field for Ananyaa’s Division at Pine Needles consisted of 79 players with representatives from the US, Great Britain, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Singapore and India.

Ananyaa had 10 birdies in her tournament week over the 5,510 yards, par 72 course – including six in her final round.

She finished one shot back of the champion from the US – who had a best-of-the-week final round of 69.

Ananyaa told Khaleej Times, “I had a wonderful week at Pine Needles and it was a great learning experience for me competing on the world stage.

“I really got the rough end of the draw with the weather and I was only able to play 14 holes on day one. As a result, I had an early start the next day to finish in tied third position at the end of round one.

“The final day was very exciting with a lot of ups and downs on my scorecard. I feel in hindsight I could have handled myself better coming down the stretch but overall, I was very pleased with how I battled it out all week.”

Ananyaa has two more AJGA events before she heads back home to Dubai:

Babygrande Stanford Junior All-Star at Stanford Golf Course, California, from 6th - 8th August 2024.

The Spin Junior All-Star at Morongo Golf Club, California, from 14th - 16th August.

• UAE junior golf sensation Ananyaa Sood aims high at US Kids World Teen Championship