Sihota Charting His Own Course
Jeevan Sihota had many offers to play collegiate golf in the United States. However, the 18-year-old from Victoria opted to pursue a different path…
Sihota instead chose to turn professional right away and made his PGA TOUR Canada debut earlier this month at the Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist.
His ability has been stuff of local legend in British Columbia’s capital city.
He won his first Callaway ‘world championship' at age six and then added two more world titles at eight and 12, before winning on the Golf Canada Future Links circuit at just 13. In many ways, he’s going the same route as former PGA TOUR Canada veteran and current PGA TOUR star Tony Finau, who turned pro immediately after high school.
Jeevan’s physique has undergone some dramatic changes over the past few years. In a conversation, his father Jas noted that his son actually added eight inches in height in around one year in his mid teens. Today, he is 6’/ 1” and weighs 190 lbs.
In a piece on the PGA TOUR Canada website Jeevan commented on the effects of this huge growth spurt.
“When I grew quite a bit, around 14, I gained a lot of swing speed. I put on weight and started hitting the ball really, really quickly, but everything just felt off. I wasn’t really performing up to my expectations.”
“It’s just the strive to get better, that’s all it is. When you are having an off day, you go to the range and try to figure it out. Eventually you will. I learned that when I was struggling during those years—between the ages of 14 and 16. It took a long time, but eventually, you figure it out… It wasn’t until late last year that I found my game again.”
All through this process, Jeevan has had his family at his side... both on and off the course.
In a piece he wrote for the PGA TOUR Canada website (link below), he spoke about the tight knit relationship:
"My family is very close. My cousins and I all lived in the same house together until I was about 11 or 12. They were competitive tennis players, and one went off to train in Vancouver, so they moved there. They moved back just last year, and now they live a few minutes away. I think that’s what I love about our Indian heritage is the way my parents welcome our family and friends into our house with open arms and love... My whole family was really supportive when I made the decision to turn pro, even though they were probably in favor of me going to college first. It helps so much to have their support. You can see it on the bag, with my dad caddying. We agree, we discuss things, we learn from each other and try to fix our mistakes on and off the course."
Sihota gained international notoriety at the 2020 Junior PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass when he played the par-4 18th hole by hitting his drive to the adjacent ninth fairway and attacking the green from there. That just added to his mystique and he had interest from literally dozens of top colleges in the US but decided turning professional immediately was the right route for him.
“I considered college for a long time, but once I saw I could come out here and compete and give myself chances to win, I figured why not give it a try? In the end, I wasn’t really interested in the typical college experience. My dream is to make the PGA TOUR, and that’s why I’m out here. This is the path to the PGA TOUR. I felt if I turned pro early, I could get a head start on things, and hopefully I can just enjoy this journey and keep learning from it.”
Two top-five finishes at PGA TOUR Canada events held last year certainly made an impact. This year, he went to the Q-School at Crown Isle earlier this year and finished top-ten earning conditional status on the PGA TOUR Canada just missing out on fully-exempt status in a three-players-for-one-spot playoff.
In his pro debut, Sihota made the cut at the Royal Beach Victoria Open presented by Times Colonist after shooting a 64 in the second round. He wound up shooting 6-under in the tournament, tying for 31st overall and collecting 21 points in the Fortinet Cup standings. His first payday was $1,160.
Make no mistake, though, Sihota still has high expectations.
“I always come to a tournament to win,” he said in an interview with the PGA Tour Canada. “So, I mean, I want to win. But I’m just going to go out there and try to hit the best shots I can, commit to every shot and see what happens.”
Entering the season-opening tournament, Sihota had been working on a lot of his knock-down shots and releasing the club a little earlier, something he especially focused on in the first round.
“So, I’ve just been working on that and just getting it a little better,” said Sihota, who had a few shots go off to the right by holding the club face off. “I feel in a comfortable state where I’m just being able to swing and hit good shots.”
Since he has been learning just how competitive and challenging pro golf can be.
In Edmonton at the ATB Classic presented by Volvo Edmonton, his two-round total of two-under was good enough to advance to the weekend and the Tour’s stop in Saskatchewan the following week was totally washed out meaning no chance for a payday.
In an interview in April with the Times-Colonist, Sihota made it clear, he would be patient about his development, Sihota said: “I am prepared for both scenarios. If it doesn’t go my way right away, I have many years ahead of me to make improvements. I am taking it just one step at a time.”
Notable Career Moments
T2 – 2021 Mackenzie Tour Reliance Properties DC Bank Open (pro)
T6 – 2021 Mackenzie Tour ATM Financial Classic (pro)
Champion – 2021 Golf Canada Junior Squad Selection Camp
T4 – 2021 Canadian Junior Boys Championship
Fast Facts
Date of birth: March 23, 2004
Hometown: Victoria, B.C.
Home Club: Gorge Vale Golf Club
Read More...
See more images of Jeevan in our Top Eighteen Images From The 2022 Royal beach Victoria Open HERE
You can read Jeevan’s story from his own perspective on the PGA TOUR Canada website HERE
See Brad Zeimer’s piece on Sihota’s win at the 2017 Future Links Pacific Tournament HERE
See a piece from the Times Colonist on Jeevan from mid April HERE