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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline OCTOBER 09, 2026 | The Indian Eye 34

SAGA holds 22nd Annual Golf Outing

and expands community impact

Dr. Anil and Mrs. Anju Joshi contributed $150,000 to the SAGA Foundation,

helping inspire new donor support for scholarships and junior girls’ golf.

OUR BUREAU
Lawrenceville, NJ

he South Asian Golf Association (SAGA)
held its 22nd Open Annual Golf Outing at
Tthe Cobblestone Creek Country Club on
September 19, bringing together members, fami-
lies, guests, sponsors and volunteers for a day that
celebrated golf, community and philanthropy.
SAGA has grown from a circle of golf-loving
friends into an organization with more than 100
members. This year’s program attracted more
youth, students, junior golfers, and women.
All proceeds from SAGA activities now bene-
fit the SAGA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-prof- SAGA golfers at the 2026 SAGA Open Annual Golf Outing.
it, which advances the organization’s mission of
promoting health, life skills and inclusion through
golf, with a particular focus on youth and women.
$150,000 Gift Strengthens the SAGA
Foundation
A centerpiece of the evening was the recog-
nition of longtime supporters Dr. Anil Joshi and
Mrs. Anju Joshi, parents of the late Anish Joshi,
whose love of golf helped inspire SAGA to think
beyond simply playing the game and toward giving
back to the community.
The Joshi family has supported the SAGA
Tour for over a decade by providing the champi-
onship vacation and cash prizes associated with the
Anish Joshi Memorial Trophy. They also made SA-
GA’s college scholarship program possible through
annual support of $5,000 for the past nine years,
benefiting two dozen students. United Healthcare Cup presented by UHC’s Theresa Lee & Madhura Inamdar to the winning team captained by Amit Parekh.
During the past year, Dr. and Mrs. Joshi made
an additional $150,000 contribution to the SAGA Island has committed funding for a new incentive remaining connected to the game of golf.
Foundation. The gift will help SAGA expand its program designed to encourage junior girls from A Year of Growth on and off the Course
charitable mission while honoring Anish Joshi’s the tri-state area to compete at a higher level. The 2026 season also included SAGA’s first
memory and his love for the game of golf. Beginning in 2027, eligible girls aged 18 and two-day Ryder Cup and continued competition
“The Joshis’ generosity has helped us turn under will be able to earn awards of $1,000 for win-
SAGA into something much larger than a golf or- ning a recognized 36-hole tournament, $1,500 for through the UHC Cup, SAGA Open and year-
long SAGA Tour. The annual awards program
ganization. It is allowing us to create opportunities winning a high school county championship, and recognized tournament winners, flight winners,
for young people, support students and grow the $2,000 for winning a state championship. As the low-gross performance and the 2026 SAGA Tour
game in our community while keeping Anish’s leg- initiative begins to take shape, Vidhi Lakhawala Champion, who received the Anish Joshi Memo-
acy alive,” said SAGA Founder and President Ma- received the $1,000 Rajiv Rudra / SAGA Award, rial Trophy.
hesh Yadav. recognizing her achievement and supporting SA- SAGA also celebrated greater participation by
Besides Mahesh Yadav, the Board of Trustees GA’s growing commitment to junior girls’ compet-
that are the driving force behind SAGA Founda- itive golf. women, including its first women’s foursome ear-
lier in the season and another women’s foursome
tion are: Uday Patel, Sanjay Seth, Paresh Desai & Scholarships and a Growing Next Generation at the SAGA Open, as part of a broader effort to
Vinay Bahuguna. SAGA awarded 2026 college scholarships to make golf more welcoming and accessible across
Generosity Inspires New Support Vidhi Lakhawala ($2,000), a University of North the community.
for Junior Girls’ Golf Carolina student, and Nesa Shah ($1,000), a Uni- 2026 SAGA Open and SAGA Tour Winners
The impact of the Joshi family’s support is al- versity of Pennsylvania student.
ready encouraging other donors to step forward. The awards continue SAGA’s commitment to Deep Thapliyal captured the 2026 SAGA Tour
Longtime SAGA supporter Rajiv Rudra of Long helping young people pursue their education while Continued on next page... >>

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