Asian Tour Q-School: Sandhu 4th, 9 Indians make the cut

Ajeetesh Sandhu, the 36-year-old Indian golfer and a former Asian Tour champion, backed up his sensational opening round of 63 with a steady 1-under 70 on Day 2 of the Asian Tour Qualifying Final Stage in Hua Hin, Thailand. Sandhu’s two-day total of 9-under par places him in a tie for fourth, keeping him firmly in contention as the week progresses.

Reflecting on his performance, Sandhu acknowledged the increased challenge. “It was a little bit tougher today, I thought,” said the Chandigarh-based veteran, who started his round on the back nine. He surged early with three consecutive birdies from the 13th hole but gave back shots on the 16th and 18th. On his second nine, Sandhu managed a run of steady pars. “The CD course is a bit tougher, and the flags were quite tight today. I also didn’t make as many putts or play as well as yesterday, but overall, it wasn’t too bad,” he added.

Sandhu’s path back to Q-School has been anything but straightforward. A persistent back injury has disrupted his form in recent seasons, culminating in a disappointing 82nd-place finish on the 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit—outside the top-65 cutoff to retain full playing rights. “It’s absolutely fine now, but it did flare up again this year and I played through that,” Sandhu explained.

Despite those setbacks, Sandhu arrived in Hua Hin riding a wave of confidence. Just last week, he captured the Vishwa Samudra Open 2024, presented by cricket legend Kapil Dev, on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). It was Sandhu’s fifth career title on the domestic circuit and a timely boost heading into this crucial week.

Australia’s Jack Thompson, the 2023 Final Stage champion, surged to the top of the leaderboard with rounds of 65 and 66, reaching 11-under par. Like Sandhu, Thompson is battling for a return to full Tour status after finishing 69th on the Asian Tour rankings, narrowly missing the cut for automatic retention.

The 36-hole cut reduced the field of 143 players to just over half, with 9 of the 13 Indians in the fray advancing. Another cut will be applied after 72 holes, trimming the field to 70 players, and only the top 35 and ties will secure playing privileges for the 2025 season.

Among the other Indian hopefuls, Karandeep Kochhar—who was tied for 12th after an opening 67—slipped to tied-60th following a second-round 73. Joining him at 2-under is Aryan Roopa Anand, who carded rounds of 69 and 71. Both will need strong finishes over the next two rounds to climb the leaderboard and keep their Tour hopes alive.

Other Indian pros and their positions after 36 holes –

Player	Score	Position
Rashid Khan	71-71 (E)	T-94
Anshul Kabthiyal	72-70 (E)	T-94
Arjun Sharma	73-70 (+1)	T-115
Pukhraj Singh Gill	68-75 (+1)	T-115
Honey Baisoya	74-70 (+2)	T-129
Chikkarangappa S.	73-71 (+2)	T-129