Hua Hin, Thailand, 24-01-2015
Chikkarangappa, Angad Cheema & Abhijit Singh Chadha earn their maiden Asian Tour cards
Himmat Singh Rai regains his card
Indian youngsters Chikkarangappa, Angad Cheema and Abhijit Singh Chadha finished inside the top-40 after the final round of the Asian Tour Qualifying School Final Stage and thus earned their maiden Asian Tour cards. Himmat Singh Rai, a former winner on the Asian Tour, also regained his card after finishing inside the top-40.
Chikkarangappa (66-66-76-68), a winner on the Asian Development Tour in 2014, finished as the highest-placed Indian at the event as he claimed fourth position at nine-under-276. Chikka, who shot a creditable three-under-68 on Saturday, finished six shots behind the winner Daniel Chopra of Sweden.
Chikka, who finished second on the PGTI's Rolex Rankings in 2013 and 2014, made four birdies and a bogey in his final round.
Angad Cheema (69-71-68-72) earned his place in Asia's premier tour after a tied 12th finish at five-under-280 along with Himmat Singh Rai (70-67-71-72)
Abhijit Singh Chadha (71-69-73-71) also managed to progress to the Asian Tour thanks to his tied 37th finish at one-under-284. The top 47 players earned their full cards for the 2015 Asian Tour season as 11 players were in tied 37th after the final round.
Interestingly, India's three new entrants on the Asian Tour, Chikka, Cheema and Chadha, are all below the age of 25. The three golfers are also tournament winners on the PGTI.
The three Indians who finished outside the top-40 and thus missed their cards were Amardip Sinh Malik (two-over-287) in tied 62nd place, Khalin Joshi (four-over-289) in tied 77th and C Muniyappa (five-over-290) in tied 84th place.
Meanwhile, at the European Tour's Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, Indians Shiv Kapur and Jeev Milkha Singh finished tied 38th at five-under-283, 14 shots behind the winner Branden Grace of South Africa.
About PGTI:
Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognised official body of professional golf in India. PGTI's objective is to promote professional golf in the country, as well as to give players an opportunity to be involved in the decision making on all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Srinivasan H R (President), PGTI's governing body comprises leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
For information on PGTI, please contact:
Nikhil Kalaan
Media Manager - PGTI
Mobile: 9910974846
Email: media@pgtofindia.com
