Gurugram, Dec 7 (IANS): Golf in India took a major step towards the next level with the successful staging of the U.S. Kids Golf India Tours first event at the Jack Nicklaus designed Classic Golf and Country Club here on Friday.

The response belied expectations as 71 participants across 13 categories teed off at this championship course, which has staged top-ticket professional events like the Indian Open and SAIL Open in the past.

The enthusiasm was infectious as kids as young as seven years teed off on a crisp but chilly winter morning. The effort bore fruit as Anushka Gupta emerged champion in the U-7 girls' category. Chaitanya Gupta won among the U-7 boys.

Winners in other categories were Ayesha Gupta in Girls 8-9 years, Lavanya Gupta in Girls 10-11 years, Ragini Navet in Girls 12-14 years, Khushi Dawar in Girls 15-18 years, Chaitanya Pandey in Boys 7 years, Sohang Har Kantor in Boys 8 years, Bhavesh Nirwan in Boys 9 years, Udai Aditya Middha in Boys 10 years, Kushagra Tokas in Boys 11 years, Vickram Baruah in Boys 12 years and Aaryomaan Bose in Boys 15-18 years.

The U.S. Kids Golf India Tour will carry ranking points, and with the participation in a minimum of four events out of the eight, the junior golfers will be able to gain qualification for the U.S. Kids World Championship, U.S. Kids European Championships as well as U.S. Kids Teen World Championship.

Subsequent events will be held at some of the finest courses in India, including Tollygunge Club (Kolkata), Eagleton Golf Resort (Bengaluru), Boulder Hills Golf and Country Club (Hyderabad), Chandigarh Golf Club and Poona Club Golf Course (Pune), apart from Classic Golf & Country Club (Delhi NCR), which between them have held numerous national and international professional golf tournaments.