Ajeetesh Sandhu stands 62nd on Asian Tour rankings
Asian Tour winners Ajeetesh Sandhu and Rashid Khan will be joined by Karandeep Kochhar, Chikkarangappa S. and Veer Ahlawat at the US$1 million Kolon Korea Open from June 20-23, which is part of the Asian Tour.
Ajeetesh Sandhu, 35, is currently the highest-ranked Indian golfer on the 2024 Asian Tour, sitting at 62nd. He has made the cut in two out of five appearances this season, with his best finish being tied-14th at the Saudi Open in April.
To automatically qualify for the following season, players must finish in the top 65 of the rankings. Currently, Sandhu is the only Indian who meets the criteria. Young Veer Ahlawat is ranked 82nd since his impressive 2nd place finish at the US$2.25 Million Hero Indian Open in March 2024 only counts towards European Tour rankings and not the Asian Tour rankings, and Kochhar is at 100th, making them the only three Indians in the top 100.
With 13 events left in the season, there is still a significant opportunity for these rankings to improve. In 2023 Gaganjeet Bhullar finished 3rd on the Asian Tour rankings thanks to one victory, while Chikka was 20th & Rashid, 34th.
The Korean Open is important as the top-two finishers will earn invitations to The Open Championship, the final major of the season scheduled for July 17-21 at Royal Troon in Scotland. The only Indian who has qualified so far for any major championship in 2024 is Shubhankar Sharma at The Open, thanks to his 8th place finish there in 2023.
The Asian Tour is the premier platform for golfers from the subcontinent which offers them higher Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points compared to the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). This is currently the primary pathway for Indian players to raise their rankings and qualify for major championships.
Photo – Asian Tour