Having made a spectacular rise from an obscure 600 in the world rankings to under 200 this year, up and coming young Indian golf professional Rashid Khan is determined to break into the top 100 in the New Year.
"It has been a really good year (2014) for me. I won two Asian tour titles (Sail-SBI Open in Delhi and Chiangmai Golf Classic in Thailand) and am leading in the PGTI Super Series standings (in Mumbai)," said the 23-year-old Delhi golfer here today.
"It feels good to be in the top-200. I'm 197 now. If I can play all my Asian Tour tournaments next year, I hope to break into the top 100 and join Anirban (Lahiri-ranked 70). That's my aim for the the next year."
Rashid, a silver medal winner at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou after which he turned pro, is at present No 2 in the PGTI earnings list for the year with an intake of over Rs 25 lakh, behind Shankar Das (Rs 26.87 lakh) but is focussing on the Asian tour.
"This is my 9th or 10th tournament this year. I've played three years on the Indian Tour and finished as No 1. I just want to focus on the Asian Tour. It's going to be a busy 2015 for me as I will be playing anywhere between 20-25 tournaments," said Rashid, whose uncle Maqbool was a top player.
Rashid's progress since he turned professional in 2011 has been impressive. He was No 3 in the 'Order of Merit' on the Indian circuit in his debut season, rose up to No. 2 in 2012 and was ranked No.1 last year.
"I am progressing every year and I'm very happy with my game. I have been doing well since the time I turned pro, always finishing in the top-three in whichever tournament I have taken part."
The young golfer has accumulated 3155.50 points in the five Super Series events gone through this year, 1400 points clear of the next-best player - Anura Rohanna of Sri Lanka.
A top five finish here tomorrow in the ongoing CG Open Super Series event, the penultimate one, would help him maintain the lead and put him firmly in sight of the bonus fund of Rs 30 lakh offered for the first time this year by the Professional Golf Tour of India.
