A first senior amateur breakthrough in northeast India
Krish Chawla, a golfer from Chandigarh, won the 2026 IGU North East Amateur Golf Championship with a four-round total of 286 strokes, two under par. The championship took place from 26 to 30 October at Digboi Golf Links in Assam, northeast India. Reporting on 31 October, The Tribune confirmed that he finished two strokes clear of the nearest challengers.
The significance goes beyond the score. A former India No. 1 junior golfer, Chawla secured his first championship victory since moving into the senior amateur ranks. This was an Indian Golf Union (IGU) amateur event, rather than a professional-tour competition, and the result should not be confused with a professional money-list win.
The 72-hole story
Chawla returned rounds of 72, 70, 70 and 74. His first three rounds added up to 212 and his final total to 286, equivalent to two under par over 72 holes. The consecutive 70s gave him the lead after the second round and allowed him to stay ahead at the end of the third.
He went into the final round with a two-stroke cushion, but trouble arrived early. On the opening nine holes he dropped four shots to par, and by the turn the contest had tightened into a four-way fight. The Tribune identified Chawla, Sanju, Aaron Ahuja and Chatanya Pandey among those level for the lead at that point.
On the back nine, Chawla answered the pressure with four birdies, regained control and eventually won by two strokes. His last-round score remained 74, or two over par. The four birdies describe individual holes; they do not, by themselves, establish his net score for that nine or the round. The full 18-hole card is the accurate measure of his day.
From junior rankings to the amateur circuit
Chawla previously reached No. 1 in India's junior rankings. Earlier in 2026 he won the IGU Northern India Junior Boys Championship at Panchkula Golf Club, towards the end of his junior career. He also represented India at the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Junior Championship in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
His development continues under coach Jesse Grewal at Chandigarh Golf Academy. A first senior amateur title matters because longer competitions, deeper fields and final-round pressure present a different test from junior golf. In Digboi, his performance supplied evidence that he can respond when a lead suddenly disappears.
Why the setting matters
Digboi is in Assam, a considerable distance from Chawla's home city of Chandigarh. The official Indian Golf Union calendar confirms the venue and the 26–30 October dates, showing how the national amateur circuit reaches northeast India's golf clubs as well as its larger urban centres.
The course's narrow fairways, uneven terrain and demanding greens formed part of the challenge described in the local report. Chawla's victory is best understood as a competitive breakthrough: not a runaway win, but a recovery from a difficult start to the closing round on the way to his first senior amateur championship.
