The fast-rising Shubhankar Sharma and the seasoned SSP Chawrasia will be a part of the strong Indian field at the Rs. 1.5 crore McLeod Russel Tour Championship starting tomorrow.
While reigning Indian Open champion Chawrasia will yet again be one of the firm favourites at his home course, Sharma and Ajeetesh Sandhu will also take centre-stage having posted their maiden victories on the global stage only recently.
Twenty-one-year-old Sharma took the golfing world by storm last week when he became the youngest Indian to win on the European Tour after a career-defining three-shot triumph at the Joburg Open in South Africa.
Winning the event, tri-sanctioned by the European Tour, Asian Tour and Sunshine Tour, also earned Sharma a berth at his first Major, next year's British Open, which would be played at Carnoustie.
Sharma, also a winner on the PGTI this year, is now returning to one of his favourite venues where he tasted success at a PGTI event in March 2016.
"It's not an easy course. One has to be accurate off the tee and hit fairways as the rough is up. If you drive it well there are low scores out there," he said.
Sandhu has also enjoyed a golden run this year, winning on the PGTI in the first half of the season and then following it up with his breakthrough win on the Asian Tour at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Taipei. He also went on to win a Japanese Challenge Tour event thereafter.
Besides these three, the other leading Indian names in the field consist of international winners Jyoti Randhawa, Rashid Khan, Chiragh Kumar, Rahil Gangjee and Chikkarangappa.
The event will decide the PGTI Order of Merit champion and vying for top honours will be money list leaders Shamim Khan (Rs. 46,27,983), Udayan Mane (Rs. 41,26,751) and Anura Rohana (Rs. 32,68,836), placed first, second and third respectively.
Kolkata-based rookie Viraj Madappa is the favourite to win the PGTI Emerging Player of the Year title. He is 13th on the PGTI Order of Merit and leads the Emerging Player race with season's earnings of Rs. 18,13,391.
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