FEW children are as determined as seven-year-old Mildura golfer Adam Sudiran, whose family has nicknamed him “Little Tiger”.
The Nichols Point Primary School student first picked up the sport at the beginning of last year and has since been around the country to compete against some of the best young golfers in the world.
His most recent outing was in the NSW Hunter Valley, where after a play-off, he finished second at the US Kids Golf Australian Masters.
Adam’s coach Michael McKenzie, a veteran who’s been part of the PGA for than four decades, said it was “very rare” to see so much motivation and skill at such a young age.
“He’s very driven to just practice, you’ll often see him practicing at the Mildura golf range,” McKenzie said.
“He gets 120 balls and just hits one after the other, his dad and mum both help him.
“They’re a nice family and a really good influence on the way he goes about it.
“His dad is always encouraging him to take his time between shots and not just belt them for no reason.”
While Adam was born in Australia, his father Sudiran, who goes by one name as is cultural custom, and mother Zarina moved to Mildura from Malaysia in 2016.
“Michael has been very good at teaching him different parts of the game, his putting has got so much better,” Zarina said.
Adam said he enjoyed driving the most. A 137-metre tee shot was his personal best.
“I don’t think kids at that age know what pressure is,” McKenzie said.
“He has an ability to play every part of the game and execute shots very cleanly for his age, he very rarely misses.
“There’s room for improvement but his chipping and putting is also very good.
“He’ll only get better the more golf courses he plays on.
“I keep telling the juniors the same thing, that their golf will improve if they play different courses because you learn how to handle different situations on different greens.”
When asked about how Adam compared to other children he’d coached in the past, McKenzie had some encouraging words.
“He ticks all the boxes that I’ve ever seen from anyone of that age,” he said.
