Focus on emerging Asian, European world talents
Young talents from Asia and Europe, including Thai prodigy Phachara Khongwatmai and Australian Todd Sinott, are in the mix for the $1.75 million Hero Indian Open which tees off at the DLF Golf & Country Club on March 9.
The 18-year-old Phachara and Sinott, 24, are looking to make a mark at the tournament with the former also the youngest ADT winner at 15, four years ago. He was tied-second at the BNI Indonesian Masters and also enjoyed three other top-five finishes in 2016.
This year he was second at the Singapore Open and also at the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth and awaits his first Asian/European Tour win. Sinott, on the other hand, achieved a breakthrough win
at the 2017 Leopalace Myanmar Open earlier this year.
Another Thai youngster, Jazz Janewattananond, won his first Asian Tour title at the 2017 Bashundhara Bangladesh Open.
Leading the young Turks from Europe will be 22-year-old Matteo Manassero. He was the second youngest full European Tour member in history after Seve Ballesteros and was also the youngest winner in European Tour history with his victory in the 2010 Castello Masters, aged just 17 years and 188 days.
Still a teenager, he won three European Tour titles.
Once ranked as high as no. 25 in the world, his form then dipped, but last year he was third at Scottish Open and tied 17th at the Turkish Airlines Open.
Another young talent is 19year-old Renato Paratore, who at 17 years and 341 days became the third youngest player in the history of the Qualifying School to claim a European Tour card in 2014. He won the men’s individual strokeplay gold at the 2014 Youth Olympics in China.
In his rookie season on the European Challenge Tour last year, Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia, 24, topped the Road to Oman rankings. Gouveia claimed his third career title and a second of 2015 at the NBO Golf Classic Grand Final and set a record for earnings. He has already become the highestranked Portuguese player of all time earlier in the season.
Paul Dunne, 21, made headlines in 2015 when, as an amateur, he shared the lead heading into the final round of The Open Championship at St Andrews. His 204 (-12) 54-hole total was a record low for an amateur.
India too has Shubhankar Sharma, 19, S. Chikkrangappa, 23 and Khalin Joshi 24, each of whom has come close to their maiden win and will look to do well at the Indian Open.
India will be represented by Shubhankar Sharma, 19, S. Chikkrangappa, 23 and Khalin Joshi, 24