Oak Hall’s Tanmay Chandra is heading home.
Well, sort of.
Chandra, who was born in India, lived in Boston for 10 years.
On Wednesday, he signed to play golf collegiately at New York University.
“Honestly, the reason I’m going to NYU is because I’ve lived in the Northeast and I call that my true home,” said Chandra, who committed to NYU in August. “I can’t complain about here either.”
Gainesville is where he has made his true mark.
In fact, this past fall, he finished 16th overall in the state at the FHSAA Class 1A state championships with a 2-round score of 148. He finished three strokes ahead of Tiger Woods’ 15-year-old son, Charlie (151), of Benjamin (Palm Beach Gardens).
Chandra, who has been playing golf at OHS for six years, has been a part of five straight team district championships.
He fired a first-round 18-hole 74 and a second-round 74 at state.
“I have a unique game, I’d say,” he said. “I’m a very back-end player. If you were to come watch me on the first nine holes, you would think who is this person, not really a great player, but coming on to the last few holes I think I can put a good show out there.”
That was evident at the Class 1A-Region 2 tournament this past year, which was two 9-hole rounds.
“Terrible front nine, I shot a 38, but on the back nine, three birdies in the last five holes to seal the deal [at 33],” Chandra said. “I’m trying to have a good start, a good finish too, but if you start well then I think that instead of shooting a 38, shoot another 33, and 33 and 33 equals 66, so if I can do that, that will be great.”
His personal best was a 66 in a personal tournament three years ago.
“I think I can do better, honestly,” Chandra said. “My game has been on a very positive trend playing higher level tournaments this year. I think my game is in the best spot it’s been, so I’m looking to break that record soon.”
His high school golf coach, Frank Anderson, who is in his 10th season, has been Chandra’s coach his entire time at OHS.
“It’s just a joy, a privilege, a responsibility, because when he came in, you could tell that a scholarship was his aspirations and his family’s aspirations, so I just helped to guide him,” Anderson said. “Of course, his parents were his major influences, and he has a golf professional that has helped him with scholarships, and he’s had lessons from multiple pros and all kinds of different academies. His motivation and his desire are tenfold over any other high school athlete I’ve coached.”
Golf is his true passion, but academics were his “first priority.”
“NYU just fit what I was looking for,” said Chandra, who will study computer science and focus more on the entrepreneurial side. “Athletically, they’re one of the best Division-III schools in sports, and that was a big appeal to me. I want to have a coach who would allow me to balance both academics and athletics. I really like golf, but at the same time, I feel that after college, if the professional route is not available, then I have to bank on my degree, and thankfully, NYU offers a good degree.”
One of the things that he is going to miss about OHS is the atmosphere with his team.
“There are so many great moments I don’t think I can put my finger on one, but I’d have to say, in general, I don’t think I’ve ever had a sense of unity or someone I could talk to, it was just a completely different experience,” he said.