Ravi Desai, a standout NASH junior golfer, had one of the greatest seasons in North Allegheny history this year, but it didn’t just come easily for Desai.
It all started back in 2019 when he was eleven years old.
“I was a hockey player at the time, and one day my dad convinced me to go to the driving range with him,” Desai said. “That’s when I first fell in love with the game.”
Soon afterwards, he experienced a moment on the course that he’ll never forget.
“It was one of my first times on a golf course, and I was playing with my cousins,” Desai recalled. “That’s when I hit my first ever hole-in-one. That’s when I realized how much I truly loved the game.”
Coming into his freshman season, Desai just wanted to have fun and hopefully make it to the wpial finals individually. He ended up having a solid year, playing the number three on the team but unfortunately falling just short of his goal of making it to the WPIAL finals.
In the summer before his sophomore year, Desai did something that not many young golfers can say they have done in their life. He qualified for the Junior PGA Championship, one of the most prestigious tournaments for youth players. The experience led him to having a sophomore year that he says was significantly times better than his freshman year.
“My goal going into sophomore year was to make it to states and come home with some bling,” Desai said.
The improvement was noticeable, as he went from number three on the team to number one. This also helped the entire team improve dramatically, as the Tigers won the WPIAL semifinal round. Leading the way was Desai, shooting an impressive one over par round. In the WPIAL finals, however, the team finished fourth.
“I did not play as well as I could have that day and it really hurt the team. I could not wait to get back to this position next year and get revenge,” Desai said.
Desai had a phenomenal summer before his junior year, winning multiple tournaments and getting ranking inside the top 200 for his class.
“Finishing top five and getting full exemption into American Junior Golf Association tournaments was a dream come true,” he said.
For the high school season, Desai’s expectations shifted just a little.
“I still wanted to come home with bling, but I wanted the team and individual state championship too,” he said.
He started off strong in the first round of WPIAL individuals by finishing in second place. In the final round, he struggled, finishing eleventh, but it was still enough to qualify individually for the state championship.
As for the team, in the semifinal round of WPIALs, the group finished second, which moved them on to the championship, where Desai showed up looking for that revenge.
“It was stressful,” he recalled. “I was one of the first groups done and just sitting there not knowing what’s going on with everybody else isn’t a good feeling.”
Luckily, the stress proved unnecessary, as the team won their second-ever WPIAL championship.
In the PIAA playoffs, Desai came in with one goal, which was to win. In the first round of the state championship, he didn’t play up to his full expectations but still sat inside the top 15. The second round was a different story. He didn’t start off well on the front nine, but on the back nine he started to push, making an eagle to start off. After that, his play was solid, though not especially strong.
But the picture changed on the last two holes, where Desai finished his round going birdie and then eagle to grab himself a top five spot in the state.
“It was good, but I’ll be back next year to win,” he said at the close of his junior season.
However, the individual tournament took a back seat to a historic achievement, as the NA boys took home their first-ever state title. In the team finals, Desai finished his round without making a single bogey. His bogey-free four-under round gave the team just the push they needed to win the PIAA championship.
“It still hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Desai said two weeks after the achievement. “Everybody chipped in to help us win.”
As important as Desai has been to the team, he readily acknowledges that others have helped him to reach his full potential.
“I give a lot of people credit for my season, but Coach Niven helped me a lot,” Desai said.
For Niven, the opportunity to witness such a talented young player has been a highlight of his coaching career.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed having Ravi on the golf team,” Niven said. “He leads by example and has grown in confidence and skills over the past three years. He cares about his performance on the course, as well as his teammates’ scores. He is a huge asset to the team.”
