India, May 27 -- As recent as 2024, golfer Manav Shah was on the brink of quitting the game. A year after dismal outings on the Korn Ferry Tour -- the developmental feeder tour for the PGA Tour -- where he made the cut once in three outings, Shah tried his luck on the Asian Tour but couldn't earn full playing rights, sending him in a frustrating spiral of self doubt. Unsure where his career was going, he turned to his family for support, and gradually went about the rearguard.

Next year, he ended eighth of Asian Tour Q-School, found some playing opportunities on the International Series, earned a conditional card for 2026, and has now made it to the first major of his career. The 34-year-old American with Indian roots -- his parents migr...