Asian Tour Q-School: Ajeetesh Sandhu opens with 63 in Thailand

36-year-old former winner on the Asian Tour & Japan Challenge Tour, Ajeetesh Sandhu from Chandigarh opened strong with an 8-under 63 to share the lead today at Asian Tour Qualifying Final Stage at Lake View Resort and Golf Club in Hua Hin, Thailand.

Sandhu, blazed through the front nine with six birdies en route to a scorching 6-under 30, before navigating the back nine with a steady 2-under finish. His lone blemish of the day came at the par-4 10th, where an errant shot cost him his only bogey. Matching Sandhu’s 63 was Kyungnam Kang of South Korea, as the duo set the early pace atop the leaderboard.

The veteran Indian was forced back to Q-School after finishing 82nd on the Asian Tour’s 2024 Order of Merit, where only the top-65 retain their playing privileges for the following season. However, Sandhu entered the week with momentum on his side, having captured the Vishwa Samudra Open 2024, presented by cricket legend Kapil Dev just last week on India’s Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI)—his fifth title on the domestic circuit.

Fellow Chandigarh golfer Karandeep Kochhar also got off to a solid start, carding a 4-under 67 to sit tied-12th. Kochhar is one of only two Indians in the field of 13 to break into the top-20 after the opening round.
Italy’s Michele Ortolani, a familiar face on the PGTI where he finished 30th on the Order of Merit, also posted a 4-under 67 to join Kochhar in T-12th. Another Indian, Pukhraj Singh Gill, shot a steady 3-under 68 to end the day tied-27th.

The Qualifying Final Stage is a grueling test of endurance, with four more rounds remaining to decide the fate of the field. Only the top-35 finishers at the end of the week will secure coveted Asian Tour cards. Crucially, a cut will be made after the second round and again after the fourth round on Friday, making consistency the key to success in Hua Hin.

Other Indian players in the field:

Player	Score	Position
Aryan Roopa Anand	69	T-44
Aman Raj	70	T-64
Rashid Khan	71	T-87
Anshul Kabhtiyal	72	T-123
Chikkarangappa S.	73	T-137
Khalin Joshi	73	T-137
Arjun Sharma	73	T-137
Honey Baisoya	74	T-165
Syed Saqib Ahmed	75	T-179
Dhruv Sheoran	78	T-199