Keshav “KC” Mungali '23 Recruiting Profile

Events

• Camp/Event
• California Junior Amateur: T48: 83, 75
• 8/10/20 to 8/11/20
• What a learning experience this week. This was by far one of the toughest courses off the tee, that I have ever played. I learned that the hard way early in my first round. Having never played the course, I was oblivious to little undulations and slopes which cost me many strokes. After a carefree up and down on the 10th hole (my first hole of the day), I approached the par 3 11th. 140 yards, into a light breeze, with water guarding the front of the hole. Oblivious to the false front and just how steep it was, I decided to pull a pitching wedge and work a low draw underneath the wind to the left pin. As soon as I hit it, I knew that I had tugged it but I wasn't worried, as I thought my ball would stop just short left of the green. Instead, it landed and spun back hard, right back into the water hazard. I was a little confused, but I moved on, as it was only one shot. There was no designated drop zone, so I had to drop at the point of entry, a good 100 yards back in thick rough. My third shot failed to make it over the hazard, and in the end, it took me eight shots to hole out. A quintuple bogey. Definitely a first! Still, I had 16 holes left, enough for me to recover some strokes. I nearly holed out for birdie on the next hole, a 210-yard par 3, and one of the toughest of the holes on the course. The 13th and 14th holes were equally as tough, and my ball found the water on both, leading to a double-bogey and a bogey. I was now 8 over through my first 5 holes in my first Junior Amateur championship. Not the start I was expecting! However, I kept fighting and rattled two birdies to finish the nine, a horrendous 43. Still, I kept fighting and trying to recover strokes but in the end, my horrific start proved to be costly and cost me a chance at winning the tournament. My mindset coming into Day 2 was to just go out, have fun, and play the best I could. Starting on the river course, the tougher of the two courses, I improved my driving performance, not missing a single fairway all day. Although I went out in 39, I felt much more relaxed and I knew that I could take advantage of the easier nine on the Bluff course. I raked in a couple of birdies, but only managed an even-par 36, finishing with a 75. I had multiple eagle chips which lipped out, and putts which hung on the edge of the cup or lipped out, which could've cut off five or six strokes from my final score. I moved up 30 spots in the rankings, but had it not been for the quintuple bogey and three double bogies on the first day, I would've finished in a tie for fourth place. Although it was a disappointing tournament, I have a lot of positives to take away, including a much improved long game, which was something I had struggled with coming into the tournament. Going to work harder and smarter, I'll be back.
• Camp/Event
• JGANC Monarch Bay Championship
• 8/06/20 to 8/06/20
• Played brilliantly, the round was very much a tale of two different nines. My front nine play exceeded nothing but mediocre, yet my resilience and desire to win kicked in, leading me to produce 2 birdies and an eagle on the back nine, leading to a 3-under 69 to win by two, and win the overall title in the boys 14-18 division in a scorecard playoff. Just when things couldn't seem any worse after a missed two-footer on the 9th hole, I started taking advantage of the opportunities I gave myself with my accuracy off the tee and converting fairways hit into birdies and eagles. Of the few hardships of the day, the wind proved to be quite the menace. I believe it was my ability to use the wind to my advantage, rather than view it as a pain, that led me to one of my better rounds of the year.
• Camp/Event
• JGANC Boys Match Play Championship: Runner-Up
• 6/22/20 to 6/25/20
• The first two tournament days were stroke play rounds for match play qualifying. I battled hard on the front nine to stay level with the course, with birdies on 5, 6, and 8, and got back to 1-under on the back but doubled the 14th and bogeyed the 17th to push me back to a 74. I started the second round trying to improve my seeding heading into match play. I started off well, going out in 2-under, but made silly mistakes on the back which pushed me to a 73. Heading into match play I was the 4th seed, but I felt good about my game, knowing that as long as I minimized my mistakes which had crushed my rounds, I could win my match. In the Round of 16 matches, my goal was to get off to a fast start and finish my match up early, because if I won my match, the quarterfinals match would be later that day, and it was crucial to conserve my energy and be prepared for the following matches. I was able to follow my gameplan as I jumped to a 5up lead after 10 and then won the match on the 13th, 7 up. I played well during the match, not making silly mistakes, and shot a bogey-free 3-under. In my quarterfinals match, I followed my gameplan of getting off to a fast start, going 5 up through 9 holes, and then winning on the 13th hole with an eagle, 6&5. I shot a bogey-free 5-under with two eagles and a birdie. The semi-final and final matches would take place the following day, and I kept the same gameplan heading into the semi-final match. After missing a short birdie on the 1st which would've won the hole, I lost the second hole, and for the first time in the tournament, I was trailing in my match. I stuck to my aggressive gameplan and by the 16th hole, I had won the match 4&2, shooting 2-under. Heading into the Final of the championship, I felt confident in my game, as my cumulative score in matchplay was 10-under par. I kept a level head throughout the match, but couldn't get any putts to fall, and made a few critical errors off the tee. I kept fighting and trying to stay alive in the match, but in the end, I was my own worst enemy. I lost 4&3, but I was proud of my overall performance all week. No matter the score or the outcome of any shot, I kept fighting and didn't give up until the last putt dropped.
• Camp/Event
• New Years Spring JR Championship: Winner: 72, 75
• 1/02/20 to 1/03/20
• Going into the tournament, I just wanted to set myself up into a position where I would have a chance to win come the final stretch on the final day. The first day was consistent and stress-free, I feel like it was one of those rounds where I didn't really care what the outcome was, I was just trying to follow the game plan I had going into the round. I shot a 72 the first day on a course that I had never played before, carding three birdies and bogies. Heading into the final round with a one-shot lead, I knew if I played my game and focused on beating the course, I would grab the dub. After an opening bogey in Round 2, I was back in a tie for the lead but bounced right back on the next hole with a birdie. That was something that I did particularly well all week; bouncing back after a poor hole, which may have won me the tournament. Heading to the par 3 13th hole, I had a two-shot lead after carding a solid birdie. After my approach shot came to about 20 ft, I hit an aggressive putt which just lipped out, leaving me a dicey 3 footer back down the hill. I became tentative having rammed my previous putt well past the hole, and I played for the break, instead of making a confident stroke and aiming for the middle of the hole. My putt lipped out and left me another 3 footer. Somewhat confused about the last putt, I lost focus and mindlessly missed the next putt as well, shifting the standings on the leaderboard. After approaching the 13th hole with a two-shot lead, I went down by one, with 5 to play. Knowing that getting upset and allowing myself to drown in my rage would only worsen my game, I stayed calm and focused on playing against the course. I followed my gameplan, focusing only on hitting fairways and greens and giving myself a chance to make up ground on the leader. By following this thought throughout the rest of the round, I regained the lead by the 16th tee. After a clutch putt on 17 left me a 3 shot lead heading to 18, a bogey at the last was enough to secure the dub, my first of the year in the Boys 14-18 Division. Great week overall, plenty to learn from, going to work harder to get my game even better.
• Camp/Event
• JTNC Holiday Series III: Position: T13: Scores: R1: 75 R2: 79
• 12/27/19 to 12/28/19
• First Round took place in Del Monte Golf Club. Conditions were wet and soggy, yet we did not play winter rules. I started off slowly, making some metal errors and I opened with a 40. I turned things on during the back nine when I made a 50 foot putt for birdie on the 12th hole to climb back up. I did make two more birdies but shot a 35 on the back to card a 75. This put me 5 off the lead and in T9. Second round took place at Poppy Hills Golf Course which played around 6700 yards. I again started off slowly going 5 over through 6 holes, but I was able to birdie 8 and 9 to card a 3-over 38 on the front. Things started falling apart at 10 though. After a good drive barely trickled into a bunker, I was blocked by a tree on the right and had to deal with the lip of the bunker on my approach shot. Attempting to hit a cut hybrid, I hit it dead straight into the trees. I did get lucky with the position my ball dropped as I had a slight window to hit the ball through to try and save a par. I caught the ball a lot cleaner than I expected from the wood-chips and dirt, and I flew the green straight into the hazard. I carded a triple bogey and fell to 6 over. Although I birdied 12, I struggled down the stretch and carded a 79 to drop from T9 to T13. Although the disappointing finish, I was driving the ball very well with an average of around 245-260 yards, and I was able to hit some solid iron shots.
• Camp/Event
• US Kids Diablo Creek Golf Tournament: Position: Runner-Up: Score: +2, 74
• 12/22/19 to 12/22/19
• A very sub-par performance throughout the day. I carded 16 pars and 2 bogey's in a round where I struggled with my iron play and proximity to the pin. Conditions were cold and rainy, greens were highly receptive. I had a few holes where I landed pin high but spun the ball back 15-20 feet and put myself out of a high percentage putt. I will work on controlling my spin and distances in the upcoming days.
• Camp/Event
• US Kids Shoreline Golf Links Golf Tournament: Position: Champion: +1 - 73
• 12/15/19 to 12/15/19
• Leading up to this tournament, I was limited to only one practice day due to weather and school. Following a long break, I came back a little rusty and I was struggling to find my rhythm all day. I opened with 2 bogey's in my opening seven holes, but I rattled on 3 birdies in a row at 8,9, and 10 and then dropped another one at 13. I did stumble at the end making bogey's at 14, 15, and 17 and finished with a mediocre 73. Although I won my 5 tournament in my last 7 starts, I still feel like I am playing extremely sub-par round. As I approach a two week winter break from school, I look forward to hone in my game and win two big tournaments as the year ends.
• Camp/Event
• JTNC Holiday Series: T10: R1: 83, R2: 72
• 11/25/19 to 11/26/19
• Opened with 83 while playing with headache and stiff neck..final round even par 72 to move from T33 to T10. 5 under through 11 holes in final round but stumbled towards the end, carded 6 birdies including a 32 back nine (started on hole #10)
• Camp/Event
• US Kids Canyon Lakes Tournament: Champion: R1: 74
• 11/10/19 to 11/10/19
• Third straight win this fall season...Felt like a very mediocre round as I posted a 2 over 74 with a birdie and a hole-out eagle from 67 yards. Opened with nine straight pars but had a rocky back nine. Still managed to squeeze a win with a 3 stroke margin.
• Camp/Event
• US Kids San Ramon Golf Tournament: Champion: R1: 70
• 10/27/19 to 10/27/19
• 1st: 2 under 70: Extremely windy conditions...gusts reaching 30-40 mph. Despite tough conditions, I was able to card 5 birdies en route to a 2 under 70 and winning by 9 shots. Just working on maintaining momentum throughout the round and "riding the wave" to go even lower. I still feel like I am playing mediocre golf despite my score...I need to make some minor adjustments so that I can play at an elite level.
• Camp/Event
• US Kids Franklin Canyon Tournament: Champion: R1: 73
• 10/20/19 to 10/20/19
• Started off a little slower than expected...rallied nicely after birdies on 9 and 13. Ended up with a 1 over 73 winning in a scorecard playoff...Nice way to start of the Fall Season on the US Kids Bay Area Tour.
• Camp/Event
• Silicon Valley Junior Championship: Result: Champion: Round 1: 73
• 8/12/19 to 8/12/19
• Leading up to the tournament date, I was not sure as to whether or not I would be able to play as this was the day after I came back from a 2 week vacation in India and Canada. Fighting severe jet-lag, and lacking any sort of practice, I was able to string together one of my best ball-striking performances so far. Although I struggled early on, I was able to stay consistent and slowly climb back. I finished with a 73 and a victory with a 2 stroke margin. I look to improve my par 4 performance in the upcoming weeks as this is one part of my game which seems to consistently bring my score down. Performance on par 3's and 5's was decent; 2 under on par 5's and 1 over on par 3's
• Camp/Event
• FCG Callaway Junior World Championship: T17: R1: 76, R2:73, R3: 70
• 7/15/19 to 7/17/19
• Some of the toughest tournament conditions I've played in. The week averaged 105-108 degrees Fahrenheit with severe dryness, so staying hydrated was crucial. I started off poorly in Round 1. I had 1 eagle and 3 birdies but had 7 bogey's and 1 double to card a dissatisfactory 76. I picked things up late in Round 2 after going 3 over early but rallied slowly to get it back to 1 over with a good performance on the par 3's. In Round 3, I was able to go 3 under on the par 5's and although I had 2 bogey's, I was able to card a 2 under 70. Overall, I went 8 under on par 5's, 10 over on par 4's, and 1 over on par 3's for a total of 3 over par 219 for 3 rounds. I will focus more on the par 4's in the upcoming weeks as I look to continue the strong play into the upcoming tournaments. This tournament has shown my drastic improvement from last year as I came T41 in the World Championship and I have now improved my ranking to T17.