Chikka leads PGTI Order of Merit

Chikkarangappa is the leader of the PGTI Order of Merit, with the PGTI season a third of the way this season.

1648

 

Bangalore’s S Chikkarangappa has a narrow edge over the 2013 Order of Merit leader Rashid Khan in the PGTI Rolex Rankings for 2014. Chikka has surged ahead of Khan, courtesy his victories at the Surya Nepal Masters and the recently concluded PGTI Kashmir Masters. Chikka has earned `15,69,844 so far this year, compared to `14,78,600 for Rashid Khan. Both players have played six events each – while Chikka has won two, Khan has won the SAIL-SBI Open in March this year.

 

A bulk of Chikka’s standing comes from his winnings at the two tournaments he won. Otherwise, his effort at the other tournaments has not been as consistent as Rashid. The 23 year old from Delhi has a relatively even spread across tournaments – having been in the top 10 in each of the seven tournaments he has played this year.

 

The results of the SAIL-SBI Open are not added to the Rolex Rankings, helping Chikka stay in front of Rashid Khan by less than a lakh of rupees. Shubhankar Sharma – with five top 10 finishes – held the lead till the two tournament swing in Kashmir dislodged him from the top. Sharma is in third currently with his pot at `13.55 lakhs.

 

Mithun Perera is the leading international, at fourth in the rankings. The Lankan is sitting pretty due largely to his successive victories in February. Perera won the Standard Chartered Open and the PGTI Eagleburg Open this year.

 

Anirban Lahiri is carrying the flag for India this year at the major golfing events. He is in fifth on the Rolex rankings, having collected `12.26 lakhs including a victory at the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters at the start of this season.

 

Om Prakash Chouhan is in sixth place. The 27 year old from Mhow won the Pahalgam Masters and also finished runner-up at the PGTI Players Championship. K Prabagaran and Rahil Gangjee have also crossed the million rupee mark this season. Shankar Das and N Thangaraja complete the top ten in the PGTI Order of Merit 2014.

 

Report by Anand Datla

Twitter @SportASmile

Join the Conversation