GolfPlus Sept 18 Digital Edition (Sept 2018) | Page 58

PGTI Order of Merit
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CEO’s
Message
UTTAM SINGH MUNDY
Greetings and best wishes from the entire team of PGTI.
It was triple delight for Indian golf fans in August as Indians won three
international titles in the space of two weeks.
Rahil Gangjee kick-started the golden run for India with his triumph at the
Asian Development Tour’s (ADT) Louis Philippe Cup in his hometown
Bengaluru.
Gangjee, who ended a 14-year victory drought on the global stage with his
success at the Panasonic Open Golf Championship in Japan earlier in the year,
thus brought home his second international trophy of the season.
It is turning out to be a grand season for Rahil, who is currently sixth in the
Asian Tour rankings and looking good for his best ever fi nish on the money
list in Asia.
Two days after Gangjee’s win, Gaganjeet Bhullar registered his breakthrough
win on the European Tour at the Fiji International.
Bhullar had been constantly knocking on the door of victory earlier in the year
as he had accumulated fi ve top-10s on the Asian Tour. Gaganjeet’s persistence
fi nally paid off in Fiji as he became the sixth Indian to bag a European Tour
title. The win also earned him the distinction of being the fi rst Indian to capture
nine Asian Tour titles.
Bhullar’s victory got him within striking range of the world’s top-100. We’re
now excited at the prospect of having three Indians – Shubhankar Sharma, SSP
Chawrasia and Gaganjeet Bhullar – compete on the European Tour.
A week after Gaganjeet’s success, 20-year-old Viraj Madappa emerged as
the newest star on the Indian golfi ng horizon. Madappa became the youngest
Indian to win an international event when he claimed the TAKE Solutions
Masters crown in spectacular fashion in Bengaluru.
In the process, Viraj also became only the third Indian rookie to win on the
Asian Tour, following in the footsteps of Shiv Kapur and Rashid Khan. The
well-deserved triumph gave Madappa an Asian Tour exemption till the end of
2019 and sky-rocketed him into the lead on the PGTI Order of Merit.
Madappa’s victory is yet another refl ection of the depth in talent on the PGTI
and the rapid strides made by the tou