Rayhan Thomas' family hails from Kottayam.Kochi: He may be just eighteen, but he has already etched his name among the best in the amateur golfing world.
Meet Rayhan Thomas, the extremely talented young golfer based in the UAE, whose family hails from Kottayam. His phenomenal success in a short period has taken the golf fraternity by storm as he climbed to 19th spot in the world amateur rankings recently. That he is the only teenager in the top 20 ranking makes his achievements even more laudable.
In fact, Rayhan’s progress has certainly been meteoric. In last September, he shot nine consecutive birdies while defending his title at the Dubai Creek Open to equal the world record set by American Mark Calcavecchia at the 2009 RBC Canadian Open.
For the uninitiated in golf, birdie’ is the term for scoring 1-under par on any individual golf hole. Par is the expected number of strokes taken by a golfer to complete a hole.
After the record-equaling show at Dubai, Rayhan went on to produce excellent results at the 2017 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship held at the Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand and at the Nomura Cup at Malaysia, which saw him breaking into the top 20 rankings.
Following in his father’s footsteps
Son of John Thomas-Neena couple, Rayhan first picked up the club at the age of nine after watching his father play. John is currently working as the chief operating officer of a Dubai-based oil and gas company.
Rayhan, who was born and brought up in Dubai, learned the nuances of game under the watchful eyes of his father and started taking part in various amateur tournaments across the globe. He became the center of attention in the amateur golfing circles after finishing third at US Amateur Match Championship. In the process, he also became the first Indian to enter the semifinals of the prestigious tournament.
Rayhan is also the first amateur player to have won the Middle East and North Africa Tour.
Eyes set on turning pro
In order to give his golfing career the best chance to flourish, Rayhan stopped going to school and turned to homeschooling two years ago. He is in 11th grade now.
Rahyan, who attends about 15-20 tournaments annually, undergoes rigorous training for 6-7 hours every day.
“I had the opportunity meet many top professional golfers, including Tiger Woods during the Junior Presidents Cup in the US. It was an unforgettable experience,” Rahyan says.
In recognition of his achievements, Rayhan has been offered an undergraduate scholarship by the Oklahoma City University in the US. He will join the four-year course in 2019.
Rayhan, who has set his sights on becoming a PGA Professional by 2021, is now preparing to take part in the Dubai Desert Classic, beginning on January 25.
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