Bhullar battles into 36-hole Sunday playoff for LIV Golf berths

By Rahul Banerji

Gaganjeet Bhullar saved his best for the last to qualify for a 36-hole shootout at the Promotion event in Abu Dhabi on Saturday that will decide three LIV Golf cards for 2024.

The three-stage Promotions tournament opened on Friday with 60 players vying to get into the second eliminator. Thirteen pre-qualifiers joined the 29 who survived the first round with only 20 berths on offer for the final 36 holes.

Karandeep Kochhar was among those eliminated in Friday’s first round with a level par 72.

The top three finishers on Sunday will earn “golden tickets” into LIV Golf League’s 2024 season from the 72-hole event at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Till late in his round on Sunday, Bhullar was in a group of six bunched together on 3-under par and on the cut line in 17th place. Those who had finished on 68 (4 under par) or better were by then already safe.

Needing to break out of the group, Bhullar smashed his second shot on the par-5 18^th hole, a three-wood 260 yards on to the green. The others laid up, and from then on, he was ahead of the game.

Paying off

While he missed the eagle opportunity, Bhullar calmly converted for birdie to finish with a 68 and in a tie for 11^th place.

For all his experience and success over the years, Bhullar’s stomach must have been churning when he stood over that last putt.

Behind him, in the playoff, Hong Kong Open winner Ben Campbell who beat 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, missed two short putts in a row to be eliminated.

Talk of fine margins.

Thailand’s Asian Tour rookie Suteepat Prateeptienchai, who finished sixth at the DGC Open, topped Saturday’s round with a bogey-free 8 under 64

Countryman and fellow Asian Tour player Chonlatit Chuenboonngam, Steve Lewton from England, Jediah Morgan from Australia and Braden Thornberry of the US shared second place on 6 under 66s.

Ties for sixth, 11^th and 17^th places suggest just how close Sunday’s race for the golden tickets is likely to be.

Early edge

Coming into the weekend, Bhullar agreed that getting what was effectively a first-round bye would be an advantage.

“Surely works in our favour a bit. I mean, instead of 80 players fighting for three cards in the first round, we will have less than 40 players fighting for the same number of cards,” the Indonesia Masters winner said.

“The probability just gets better,” he told the Asian Tour website.

Those also with byes were Campbell, Laurie Canter of England, Kevin Chappell, Jason Dufner, Sihwan Kim, James Piot (all US), Gunn Charoenkul of Thailand, Aussies Jed Morgan and Wade Ormsby, Finland’s Kalle Samooja, Kieran Vincent of Zimbabwe and rising China star Sampson-Yunhe Zhang.

Among them, Dufner, Campbell, Ormsby, Kim, and Piot missed out, as did 2023 DGC Open winner Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines.

Also read: LIV Golf beckons Bhullar, Kochhar at Promotions weekend