WOMEN'S AMATEUR ASIA-PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP

November 9, 2021

Anika Varma

Quick Quotes

Q. Anika, a long travel from Sacramento, isn't it?

ANIKA VARMA: Yes.

Q. Tell us something about how excited you are for this tournament. I believe it is the first time you're representing India at this level, at the senior amateur level, isn't it?

ANIKA VARMA: I did the inaugural Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific as well, and I was invited for the Japan tournament too. I couldn't go to the Japan one.

Q. That's why I didn't see you there.

ANIKA VARMA: But I was there for the other one. It's nice, it's good to be back representing India again. It's been a while, since 2019. With the lockdown, there weren't any tournaments happening.

But it's been pretty good. I've been practicing quite a bit and playing tournaments in the U.S. It's just been a good few months.

Q. Your friends over here, they have had a very different route to this tournament compared to you. They've done really well in the Indian tournaments and they've come over here. You haven't had that many opportunities to play the WAGR ranked events when you were there in the U.S., but how did you manage to keep yourself sharp, and how are you looking forward to this week with your golf form?

ANIKA VARMA: I feel like there aren't a lot of WAGR tournaments in the U.S. because they generally have it during the summer, and if they have it during the season, it's generally college golf.

But I have been playing quite a few tournaments, and I'm pretty happy with how my game is because honestly it all depends on how you perceive it and how you keep on working hard even though you know you don't have that many big tournaments coming up. I played quite a few tournaments this summer, and I was in really good shape. I've been playing my high school season before college. So I feel like everything's been going pretty well.

It's honestly how you perceive it. If you think I haven't played any good tournaments, I won't know how I'm going to play. Then that's how you think. But if you think like, oh, I'm in great condition, I've been working hard, and I've been putting 100 percent, then you're going to play well anyway. It doesn't matter if you have played or if you haven't played in the big tournaments.

Q. One last question. What did you think of the golf course? Does it suit your style of play?

ANIKA VARMA: The golf course is pretty, I love it. It's the same as they have -- the golf courses are in great condition every year for Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific. You see a lot of courses like this in the U.S.

I've travelled enough and seen different courses enough that now it doesn't really bother me if they look different. You just have to conform to them, and you just have to play well according to the golf course. So it doesn't really bother me.