First Indian golfer to earn playing rights on PGA Tour Canada in 2021, Saptak Talwar is on the hunt to secure his card on the European Tour
Only two Indians are in the fray going into the final stage of the European (DP World) Tour Qualifying Event. Curiously, both are Indian nationals who have played mostly overseas. The first is Dubai-born-and-bred Indian national Rayhan Thomas, who has played US college golf at the famed Oklahoma State University team and the other is Saptak Talwar, who is originally from Delhi but has been playing overseas for the past several years.
No Indian players from the PGTI (India’s domestic circuit) have entered the qualifying tournament, indicating a lack of drive for Indian boys to aspire for higher level tours. On the contrary, several girls are seen every year in the fray at the Ladies European Tour qualifiers – a stark contrast.
Thomas scored rounds of 69-67-68-67 in the qualifier held in Girona, Spain, finishing at T9 with 13-under par, comfortably securing a place in the final stage.
Talwar excelled at the qualifying in Huelva, Spain, with an impressive 8-under 64 in the third round, boosting him to a T10 finish to join the top 23 and advance ahead.
The duo heads to Tarragona this week for the final stage of qualifying, from November 8-13, where they will compete against 156 players for a place in the top 20 spots that grant full playing privileges on the DP World Tour.
We, at India Golf Weekly, wish them the very best as we would love to see another Indian playing full time in Europe, where only Shubhankar Sharma has been bravely flying the Indian flag solo for the past few years.
Rayhan Thomas will look to carry his good form into the Final Stage at Infinitum Golf in Tarragona, Spain
