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SPORTS
Kiran Matharu
Talent to be green about
GIRLS…EVER CONSIDERED A CAREER IN SPORT?
Kiran Matharu is lighting up the green for more Asian girls to get involved in golf. The 16-year-old from Leeds may cut a striking figure on the course but for one reason only: she is outstanding at golf. This is a girl who, as part of Team Faldo, destroyed the opposition in the highly acclaimed Faldo Series in 2004 by beating her nearest rival by 11 shots. Kiran told Xcel, "When I was about 12, I went to the golf course with my dad and was just watching him hit balls on the range. So I had a go with his clubs. Then a professional walked passed and told my dad that I had a natural swing. It was the first time I had tried golf. I wasn't really interested in it before. Now I think it's great." So, has she encouraged any of her friends to take up golf? "I'm proud to be the only Asian girl playing” explained Kiran, “but I don't know why other Asian girls don't play. None of them play sport really; it's a bit of a problem. My Asian friends say that golf is boring. They say they want to play golf but they never do. I've told them that they can't say it's boring if they haven't played it. But if I asked them down the range they'd just say: 'no'."
However, despite her friends’ lack of interest in the sport, Kiran has enjoyed the perks that come with this type of talent and dedication. As well as regular meetings with Nick Faldo and being coached by one of the best, David Leadbetter, Kiran got to meet the Prime Minister. "I've went to 10 Downing Street for the launch of London's 2012 Olympic bid. I got to speak to Tony Blair but he didn't really know much about golf. I also met Sven Goran Eriksson and I spoke to Chris Eubank for a while although he crushed my hand when he shook it!" She recently entered the Curtis Cup in the USA and her sights continue to be set high. “After the Curtis Cup I’m going to turn professional. I’ll just try and do my best and win as many tournaments as I can. I’d like to win the PGA or any Major in the next three years!” Xel wishes her luck!
