Putting (trophies) together: When Milkhas met and dreamt of flying high

As Padma Shri and 20time international winner Jeev Milkha Singh put his winning trophy of the IGPL Invitational Colombo along with son Harjai Milkha Singh’s winning trophy of the Indian Golf union order Of Merit in front of the pictures of his parents Milkha Singh and Nirmal Milkha Singh, Jeev would share with his son Harjai the mantra Flying Sikh Milkha Singh had told him to achieve success in life as well as on the sporting field.

“Discipline, hard work and dedication. And rest will follow. That’s what my father Milkha Singh always told me and that’s what I tell Harjai always. Harjai has become India’s number one junior golfer. I have told him not to contend with it. The goal should be world number one. It’s good to set goals but results will come if one follows the routine. Don’t get ahead of yourself in terms of goals but have confidence in your abilities and train for it with excellence,” Jeev told The Indian Express.

If a nine-year-old Jeev would start playing golf after seeing his father Milkha Singh going to the Chandigarh Golf Course, Harjai would start playing golf along with cricket and football at the age of six in 2016. Within one year, Harjai would win the Milkha Junior Challenge sub-junior title apart from finishing third in US Kids Golf World Championships in Malaysia the following year, where his father Jeev also caddied for him. The last seven years have seen Harjai winning the title in the U-13 category in US Kids Golf European Championship in 2023 apart from competing in the Jersey legends Cup at La Moye Club, Channel Islands as an amateur where his father too competed. Harjai finished fourth among amateur golfers in the tournament and since then the youngster has competed in multiple tournaments on the PGTI circuit as well as Indian Golf Premier League circuit as an amateur and competing along with Jeev.

“Right from my junior days, I have been travelling with my father for his tournaments and seeing him play with a relaxed mind taught me a lot of things. He also caddied for me very early in my career and would offer me insights on sport as well as life. And I would discuss things like my swing fault or other technicalities of my game with him on the course all well off the course. He always tells me to follow my routine and process and results will fall in place. And that’s what I followed this year too with four title wins coming on the IGU circuit and to win the IGU Juniors order of Merit,” Harjai told The Indian Express.

The 10th standard student of Strawberry Fields HighS School had won his first title of the year with the win at IGU Southern India Juniors Coimbatore and won his second title of the year in the form of IGU Northern India Amateur in Panchkula. The 15-year-old had won the third title of the year in the form of IGU Gujarat Juniors at Ahmedabad in October last year and won his fourth title of the year in the form of RCGC Junior title at Royal Calcutta Golf Course at Kolkata in November. Harjai finished with a total of 468 points from 12 tournaments with the points from the best eight tournaments taken accumulating 357 points to win the IGU order of Merit for the year 2025.

“Winning the IGU Order of Merit is a special feeling. Out of the four wins, I cherish winning the IGU Southern India Juniors Coimbatore since it was my first title. To win the title at Ahmedabad too was special as the Kalhar Greens Course is set on an international course design and it challenges one a lot. I would often watch my father’s trophies won as a junior in the cabinet at home and to see my Order of Merit trophy being placed among his trophies as well as my grandfather’s medals is an emotional feeling,” adds Harjai.

The youngster had played in two tournaments organised by the Thailand Golf Association, where he finished 16th and seventh last year apart from playing in the Huntsville Junior, organised by the American Junior Golf Association, where he finished 20th. Harjai plans to play in The Royal Junior in Japan in April this year apart from competing in the R&A Boys Juniors in the United Kingdom. Harjas also plans to play on the USGA circuit in the USA.

“Competing in different tournaments in Japan as well as Europe along with the US will help me to adjust my game in different conditions. My father played collegiate golf in the USA apart from playing on the Japan Tour as well as European Tour and has always told me to hone my skills for all types of golf courses. I am also a fan of how my father remains stable while putting and that’s one thing which I want to emulate from him,” said Harjai.

When asked about the pressure of being from a family of Milkhas as well as his memory of his grandparents, the youngster would answer with confidence. “I don’t see it as a pressure. I see it as a legacy as well as something which pushes me to give my best. I remember listening to the stories and struggles of my grandparents as well as spending time with them and watching movies with them. I hope to play for India in the Olympics too one day like my grandfather and win a medal for India,” said Harjai.