Sandhu leads nine Indians at Asian Tour Q School final stage

Jack Thompson of Australia in action at Hua Hin on Wednesday. Image courtesy Asian Tour/Paul Lakatos.

From a Correspondent

Hua Hin: Jack Thompson added a 5 under par 66 to his opening 65 to take the lead in the Final Stage of the 2025 Asian Tour Qualifying School at Lake View Resort and Golf Club, Hua Hin, Thailand, on Wednesday.

The Australian won this event two years ago at the same venue, finishing 22 under for five rounds, and looks like being the man to beat once more.

He played on the C and D layout today, considered to be slightly harder, and made seven birdies and two bogies to lead the pressure-packed event on 11-under by one from Koreans Kyungnam Kang and Doyeob Mun.

Joint first-round leader Kang returned 69 and Mun 67, on the same C and D layout.

India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu, who shared the lead with Kang, Manav Shah from the US and Japan’s Taiki Yoshida were another shot back.

Sandhu fired 71, while Shah and Yoshida 67s – also on C and D. They all play the A and B nines tomorrow.

Sandhu led six other Indians into the second phase of the Qualifying School including Karandeep Kochhar, Aryan Roopa Anand, Rashid Khan, Anshul Kabthiyal, Pukhraj Singh Gill, Arjun Sharma, Chikkarangappa S., and Honey Baisoya.

Missing out were Khalin Joshi, Dhruv Sheoran, and Aman Raj who finished outside the 2 over 144 cut line.

Solid display

“Just did everything solid, carried it on from yesterday,” said Thompson, back at school having finished 69th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit – just four placed short of retaining his playing privileges.

“You know, it (the course) is a little bit wider, but I think in parts, you still need to take driver up there, and that’s what I’ve been doing. Just playing free, I guess, if that makes sense.

“Just, you know, whatever the outcome is, just be happy with that. I think it’s showing the first two days. So, obviously I like the course and the putter, yeah, it’s feeling pretty good.”

In the two decades he has been a professional, Kang, aged 41, has only played in the Asian Tour Qualifying School once before, back in 2011. He tied for fifth then and would dearly like a similar result this week.

“The profile of the Asian Tour and The International Series is so big now. I felt it was important for me to try and play in those events, as I am getting a bit older,” said Kang – an 11-time winner on the Korean PGA Tour.

Sandhu is one of the name players here this week having played on the Asian Tour for over a decade, with one win to his name at the 2017 Yeangder TPC.

He is here at Qualifying School having finished 82nd on the Asian Tour Order of Merit but buoyed by a win on the Professional Golf Tour of India last week, at the Vishwa Samudra Open.

“It was a little bit tougher today, I thought,” said Sandhu, who began on 10, birdied three in a row from 13, dropped shots on 16 and 18, and parred every hole on his second half.

Hanging in

“I think the CD course anyway is a little bit tougher, the flags were quite tight I thought. Obviously, I also didn’t make so many putts and I didn’t play as well as yesterday, but it wasn’t too bad overall.”

A persistent back injury has hampered his form over the past few seasons.

“It’s absolutely fine now but it kind of played up again this year, and I played through that.”

Shah, from California, took the 21st card at this year’s school but is back here having finished 128th on the merit list.

He explained: “My rookie year on the Asian Tour has not been good. I have had to make a lot of adjustments coming from the USA.

“There’s a lot of travel, a lot of different golf courses. I think I learned what I needed to learn. Hopefully, I can keep doing what I am doing and get back here next year.

“I turned pro 2015, played all over Latin America, Canada, Korn Ferry last two years. Just decided to come to Asia, it’s been great, have a lot of family over here. I love the culture.”

Australian Will Florimo carded 64 and is one back with Takumi Murakami from Japan, who carded 65, and Bangladesh’ Siddikur Rahman, in with 66.

A cut was made today, at two over, with the top 140 and ties making it through to the next two rounds.

The top 70 and ties on day four make it into the final round on Saturday, where the leading 35 will earn cards for next year. (courtesy Asian Tour)

Selected round 2 scores

131 – Jack Thompson (AUS) 65-66.
132 – Kyungnam Kang (KOR) 63-69, Doyeob Mun (KOR) 65-67.
133 – Ajeetesh Sandhu (IND) 63-70, Manav Shah (USA) 66-67, Taiki Yoshida (JPN) 66-67.
134 – Siddikur Rahman (BAN) 68-66, Will Florimo (AUS) 70-64, Takumi Murakami (JPN) 69-65.
135 – Denzel Ieremia (NZL) 68-67, Sean Ramos (PHI) 64-71, Julien Sale (FRA) 68-67, Yosuke Asaji (JPN) 67-68, Christopher Hickman (USA) 67-68, Darcy Brereton (AUS) 67-68.
140 – Filip Lundell (SWE) 71-69, Jason Knutzon (USA) 69-71, Jordan Zunic (AUS) 69-71, Christian Nido (PUR) 70-70, Karandeep Kochhar (IND) 67-73, Taiko Nishiyama (JPN) 69-71, Agustin Errazuriz (CHI) 67-73, Xiao Bowen (CHN) 71-69, Shotaro Ban (USA) 73-67, Austin Rose (USA) 72-68, Ngai Si (MAC) 71-69, Zachary Portemont (USA) 71-69, Aryan Roopa Anand (IND) 69-71, Minjun Kim (KOR) 69-71, Robert Foley (SUI) 70-70, Jordan Wrisdale (ENG) 71-69, Roberto Lebrija (MEX) 71-69, Yujun Jung (KOR) 70-70.
141 – Andrew Campbell (AUS) 71-70, Santiago De la Fuente (MEX) 71-70, Kasper Nyland (DEN) 70-71, Sven Maurits (NED) 69-72, Sam Broadhurst (ENG) 68-73, Yuki Shino (JPN) 69-72, Dengshan Koh (SIN) 70-71, Alexander Bishop (USA) 72-69, Zhang Xinjun (CHN) 73-68, Tyler Wood (NZL) 68-73, Ivan Ramirez (COL) 69-72, Othman Raouzi (MOR) 72-69, Hamza Amin (PAK) 71-70, Adam Guedra (SWE) 73-68, Jakkanat Inmee (THA) 71-70, Yin-ho Yue (HKG) 72-69.
142 – Ben Jones (ENG) 71-71, Jasper Stubbs (AUS) 71-71, David Drysdale (SCO) 70-72, Rashid Khan (IND) 71-71, Patrick Newcomb (USA) 70-72, Pawin Ingkhapradit (THA) 71-71, Todd Sinnott (AUS) 71-71, Matloob Ahmad (PAK) 72-70, Shahriffuddin Ariffin (MAS) 68-74, Cameron Sisk (USA) 73-69, Naoki Sekito (JPN) 71-71, Kuangyu Chen (am, AUS) 69-73, Nirun Sae-ueng (THA) 71-71, Kota Kaneko (JPN) 69-73, Tao Deng (CHN) 74-68, Luca Cianchetti (ITA) 73-69, William Harrold (ENG) 71-71, Suradit Yongcharoenchai (THA) 71-71, Ryoto Furuya (USA) 71-71, Changwoo Lee (KOR) 72-70, Anshul Kabthiyal (IND) 72-70.
143 – Marc Warren (SCO) 71-72, Yikeun Chang (KOR) 72-71, Berry Henson (USA) 68-75, Junsub Park (KOR) 70-73, Carson Enright (USA) 70-73, Khemkhon Limbhasut (THA) 67-76, Amir Nazrin (MAS) 73-70, Arjun Sharma (IND) 73-70, Ryusei Yokota (JPN) 73-70, Taisei Shimizu (JPN) 71-72, Pukhraj Singh Gill (IND) 68-75, Ollie Roberts (SCO) 73-70, Tyson Reeder (USA) 72-71, Daniel Hudson (USA) 72-71.
144 – Ryo Katsumata (JPN) 73-71, Zhou Yanhan (CHN) 69-75, Hunter Logan (USA) 70-74, Lu Wei-chih (TPE) 70-74, Taehoon Ok (KOR) 71-73, S. Chikkarangappa (IND) 73-71, Trevor Simsby (USA) 70-74, Honey Baisoya (IND) 74-70, Lu Sun-yi (TPE) 72-72, Jonghark Kim (KOR) 74-70, Isaac Lam (HKG) 76-68, Rafael Becker (BRA) 71-73, Newport Laparojkit (THA) 73-71, Moojin Cho (KOR) 73-71, Niall Kearney (IRL) 71-73.

Also read: Sandhu, Kang share day 1 lead at Asian Tour Quali Final Stage