Youngsters Shubhankar Sharma and Ajeetesh Sandhu, with triumphs on the global stage, join Indian Open champion S.S.P Chawrasia to make it an interesting pre-tournament scenario in the McLeod Russel Tour Championship, that gets underway at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) from Thursday.
The PGTI year-ender is all set to see an intense action with a host of other Indian and foreign names gearing up to showcase their best at the oldest golf course outside the British Isles.
Shubhankar made news recently by becoming the youngest Indian to win on the European Tour with a triumph at the Joburg Open in South Africa.
The win also gave him a ticket to British Open. “It was a highly satisfying win for me as I weathered tough conditions to be the best in a field of 240. I am now really excited about playing my first Major next year.”
“I am playing well and feeling fit. I will hope to carry the momentum from the last two weeks,” said Shubhankar, who finished tied 11th at an Asian Tour event in Indonesia last week.
Ajeetesh showed good form in winning his maiden Asian Tour title at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Taipei. He added the Japanese Challenge Tour trophy to make the above. His win on the PGTI in the first half of the season has made it a memorable year so far for Ajeetesh. The other leading Indian names with international wins under their belts are Jyoti Randhawa, Rashid Khan, Chiragh Kumar, Rahil Gangjee and S. Chikkarangappa.
Leading the foreign professionals are the Australian duo of Adam Blyth and Daniel Fox and Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura.
The three, making their debut at the RCGC, have a total of four international titles between them.
The event will decide the PGTI Order of Merit champion and vying for top honours are current leaders Shamim Khan (₹46,27,983), Udayan Mane (₹41,26,751) and Anura Rohana (₹32,68,836).