Veteran Korean golfer Kyungnam Kang and India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu’s bids to secure coveted Asian Tour cards for next year started perfectly on Tuesday when they took a share of the first-round lead in the Final Stage of the Qualifying School at Lake View Resort and Golf Club, Thailand.
Veteran Korean golfer Kyungnam Kang (photo:X)
Veteran Korean golfer Kyungnam Kang and India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu’s bids to secure coveted Asian Tour cards for next year started perfectly on Tuesday when they took a share of the first-round lead in the Final Stage of the Qualifying School at Lake View Resort and Golf Club, Thailand.
They fired outstanding eight-under-par 63s on the A and B nines, ahead of Filipino Sean Ramos, who returned a 64. Argentina’s Miguel Carballo, Korean Doyeob Mun, Niklas Regner from Austria, Flint Bekkers from the United States and Australian Jack Thompson are next best following 65s. Regner, who has spent the last three years on Europe’s Challenge Tour, was the only one to record his 65 on the C & D nines.
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Four more rounds remain before the top 35 win their tour cards, with a cut made after Wednesday’s round and also after the fourth round on Friday.
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Kang is in pole position thanks to an eagle on the par-four 18th, where he sensationally holed his second, and six birdies – including one on 17 and three in succession from the fifth.
Sandhu comes into the week hot having won the Vishwa Samudra Open 2024 presented by Kapil Dev last week on India’s professional circuit – his fifth win on that Tour. He had a disappointing year finishing 82nd on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, with the top 65 retaining playing rights.
The 38-year-old looks like he is on a mission to bounce back from that this week. He made a brilliant start, with birdies on the first three and then later three in a row from seven to go out in six-under. He dropped his only shot of the day on 10 but collected three more birdies later. He made his only bogey on 10.
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