File photo of Paris Olympian and 11-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhulllar who has five titles on Indonesian soil to his name and is in the field for the inaugural Jakarta International Championship. Image courtesy Asian Tour.
By Rahul Banerji
An 11-strong Indian contingent from India will see action at the inaugural Jakarta International Championship at Damai Indah Golf’s PIK Course fromOctober,2 to 5.
The tournament as part of The International Series, a set of elevated events on the Asian Tour that is also a pathway to the LIV Golf League.
Leading the charge is Gaganjeet Bhullar, a five-time winner in Indonesial and member of the India Olympic team last year in Paris.
Joining him are Khalin Joshi, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Rahil Gangjee, Karandeep Kochhar, Viraj Madappa, Chikkarangappa S., S.S.P. Chawrasia, Shiv Kapur, Rashid Khan, and Yuvraj Sandhu.
Bhullar, 36, is an 11-time winner on the Asian Tour and remains a formidable force in the region.
The 36-year-old’s previous International Series title came at the BNI Indonesian Masters presented by TNE in November 2023, where he delivered a flawless wire-to-wire performance.
Super run
‘That win added to an extraordinary record that includes three Indonesia Open titles – the most by any player – and victory at the Indonesia President Invitational.
This season on The International Series, Bhullar has made the cut at four events (in India, Macau, Japan, and Morocco), and includes a T14 finish at Morocco.
Of the rest, Karandeep Kochhar finished runner-up to Bhullar at the Indonesian Masters in 2023.This season he made the cut at the International Series India and was T14 at the Mandiri Indonesian Open on the Asian Tour.
He was also runner-up at the Morocco Rising Stars on the Asian Development Tour.
Ahead of Jakarta, Kochhar said,“It is always a treat to be back in Indonesia. We played this course last year for the Mandiri Indonesian Open, and it was a great event.
“The course is in excellent shape again, and the weather has been kind to us so far – it can get really hot here, but this week it feels manageable.
“My game feels good. I’ve had a couple of strong weeks on the ADT, the Asian Tour, and back home on the IGPL, so I’m excited to tee it up and hopefully have a good week.”
LIV maverick in field
The field also includes LIV Golf wild card Anthony Kim, a three-time PGA Tour winner, who is looking to fight his way back to the LIV ranks after losing his place this year.
Said the US star, “In my 20s and playing professional golf, I had a lot of access to different things.
“But at 40, I realised we’re blessed to be here and getting to travel the world, play golf in front of a bunch of people, in amazing places such as here in Jakarta.
“We have to appreciate that and have gratitude for the opportunity we have in front of us.
“We start tomorrow; we are all at level par with the chance to change our lives every week. This is not pressure. This is a blessing.”
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