India on roll in AT Order of Merit

Indian golfers were on the rise in this week’s Asian Tour Order of Merit list with young star Rashid Khan and veteran SSP Chowrasia moving inside the top-10 on the back of their impressive wins in Thailand and India, respectively. Khan and Chowrasia, placed eighth and ninth respectively, along with five-time Asian Tour winner Anirban Lahiri (second) are the three Indians who now feature prominently on the money list as the region’s premier Tour heads into its exciting stretch of the season where the battle for the merit crown intensifies. Like Lahiri’s victory in Indonesia earlier in the year, Khan also won his first title outside India with a battling performance that saw him pip Thailand’s Thanyakon Khrongpha and compatriot Jyoti Randhawa by one-shot at the Chiangmai Golf Classic presented by PTT over the weekend.

The 23-year-old, who has risen in the Order of Merit with earnings of $232,407, used to find success on the Asian Tour elusive having suffered the agony of missing out on his Tour card at Qualifying School for three consecutive years since 2011. However he took advantage of limit playing opportunities and finally earned his career breakthrough on home soil at the season-opening SAIL-SBI Open presented by Incredible India. Khan would then follow that up by winning again in Chiangmai. Chowrasia trails Khan by slightly over $15,000 in ninth place, thanks largely to his third Asian Tour win at the Panasonic Open India a fortnight ago.