Sunhit Bishnoi will have his sister Gaurika Bishnoi (multiple winner on the WGAI) on the bag for the qualifier at Thana City Country Club in Thailand
The revamped Asian Tour has returned with its Qualifying after a break of over two years due to COVID-19. In December nearly a dozen Indians had tried their hand with only one getting through to the final stage, and this week Indian players vying for Asian Tour cards in Thailand include – Arjun Bhati, Sunhit Bishnoi & Yash Majumdae (Amateur) at Thana City Country Club , while Gaurav Pratap Singh wll play the qualifier at Springfield Royal Country Club from Jan. 11-14.
In December 2022, the 10 Indians who participated at the Asian Tour qualifier at Blue Canyon CC in Phuket were Aadil Bedi, Yashas Chandra, Samarth Dwivedi, Gurbaaz Mann, Varun Parikh, Arjun Prasad, Arjun Puri, Vasu Sehgal, Saptak Talwar and Dhruv Sheoran.
Related: Saptak qualifies for the Final Stage
Among them, Saptak Talwar, who has been based in the US for the past 5-6 years, shot 70-67-71-72 (8-under 280) to finish 7th and successfully qualify for the final stage.
However several Indians, led by 10 time Asian Tour winner, Gaganjeet Bhullar, are already exempt for the Asian Tour based on their 2022 Asian Tour rankings. Others get into tournaments based on country-wise exemptions.
The Final Qualifying Tournament will take place from January 18 to 22 over five rounds. The top 140 (and ties) after 36 holes will progress to rounds three and four and the top 70 players (and ties) after 72 holes will play in the pivotal final round. At the conclusion of 90 holes, the top 35 will be ranked accordingly for the 2023 season.
The 2023 Asian Tour season is expected to be its most lucrative ever with the Saudi backed Asian Tour International Series featuring more than 12 events of US$1.5 Million or above.
Over the years, the Asian Tour Qualifying School has witnessed the emergence of many top players in the region. Successful graduates include Thai stars Thongchai Jaidee (1999), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (2009) and Sadom Kaewkanjana (2019); the Australian Scott Hend (2007); Korea’s Yikeun Chang (2016); and the American duo of Kurt Kitayama (2018) and John Catlin (2018).
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Photo – Gaurika Bishnoi