Hua Hin, Thailand : The Indian duo of Chikkarangappa S and Shubhankar Sharma earned their Asian Tour cards for 2016 after they finished tied 11th and tied 25th respectively at the Asian Tour Q School Final Stage. The top 41 players in the field secured their cards on the Asian Tour.
Chikkarangappa (67-64-72-73), the 2015 Rolex Ranking champion, was the joint leader after round three, but he ended the week in tied 11th after his final round of two-over-73 that took his total to eight-under-276. Chikka thus finished five strokes behind the winner Yikeun Chang of Korea.
The 22-year-old Chikka, who was 73rd in the 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit, has now fought his way back onto the Asian Tour.
Nineteen-year-old Shubhankar Sharma (68-69-71-72), a winner on the PGTI, secured his maiden Asian Tour card after firing a final round of one-over-72 that placed him tied 25th at four-under-280.
The cut for the Asian Tour qualification was the top-40 and ties but 41 players eventually made it as seven players were tied for 35th at three-under-281.
Among the other Indians in the fray, Honey Baisoya posted a brilliant 67 in the final round but fell short of the qualifying mark of three-under-281 by just two shots. He finished tied 49th.
Manu Gandas shot 69, but he too occupied tied 49th at one-under-283 and as a result missed out on his card.
Rahul Bajaj (71) finished a further shot behind Baisoya and Gandas in tied 59th while Amardip Sinh Malik (79) finished 108th at 12-over-296.
Courtesy : PGTI