US Open 2026| Trading scalpel for golf irons: Indian-origin Manav Shah’s stirring journey

The 34-year-old earned his spot in next month's US Open after finishing overall 5-under-par at the demanding 36-hole final qualifying event held at Dallas.

Indian-origin golfer Manav Shah chose fairways over medical school and will, now, tee off at his maiden US Open Golf Championship next month.

Born into a Gujarati family where medicine was considered the natural career path and after grinding on public courses and global qualifying circuits for years, Manav will tee off at the at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton New York for the third Major of the year starting on June 18.

The California-born Manav, whose parents migrated from India in the 1980s, said reconnecting with his roots through the Asian Tour and the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) strengthened the self-belief, eventually carrying him into golf's toughest major.

"The players on the tour and all the guys I've met from India have been very welcoming to me. It kind of was a full circle moment for me and brought me closer to my roots, closer to my culture," Shah was quoted say saying by PTI news agency.

"I've always spoken Gujarati, but now, we all speak in Hindi. Just being more connected to my roots, I think it, honestly, gave me that sort of belief and confidence, that I could achieve things that maybe weren't expected prior."

Manav said his Indian identity was never distant despite being born and raised in US.

"I've always been tied to the motherland. My dad's from Gujarat, my mom is from Bombay. We always went back every year to visit my grandparents in Gujarat and Bombay. India is obviously very home to me and it's amazing to be able to represent my culture at the US Open."

The 34-year-old earned his spot in the US Open after finishing overall 5-under-par at the demanding 36-hole final qualifying event held at the Dallas Athletic Club earlier this month.

However, the sport entered his life almost accidentally. He began his time at UCLA as a pre-med major, but eventually pivoted away to manage the rigorous demands of collegiate golf with the UCLA Bruins.

"My extended family are in medicine. That was always kind of the Gujarati line of work in our household, we go to med school, become a doctor, make the world a better place, save lives. That was always the route chosen for me," Manav said.

"But I realised medicine probably wasn't going to be my thing when everyone after class went to the library and I was going to the golf course to tee off," he added.

He also weighed in on the uncertainty surrounding professional golf amid the continuing PGA Tour-LIV Golf divide, saying the sport must preserve multiple pathways for aspiring players rather than evolve into an exclusive structure dominated by a few tours.

"From a player standpoint, it's very difficult to get onto the PGA Tour. I think the more pathways and more tours that we as professionals have to play golf, I think it's better," said Manav, who had turned Pro in 2015.

(With PTI/PGA Tour inputs)