May 16, 2018: India’s Chikkarangappa S. is aiming for victory in China at the Asia-Pacific Classic which gets underway on Thursday, which will be his first on the Asian Tour.
The 24-year-old, who narrowly retained his Asian Tour card for 2018, has a good feel of the golf course and is optimistic about putting in an excellent performance this week.
“This is my first professional event in China. It’s been nice so far and I’ve been enjoying my experience here. It is similar to India, especially when it comes to population size! The weather has been great so far. There’s a bit of rain, but it’s clearing up nicely.
The course has an interesting layout, with plenty of water bodies. The greens here are huge and sloppy, so it’ll be a tough week for us when it comes to putting. As the days go on, we’ll have a better idea of the greens for sure. The fairways and greens are soft, which means that the ball won’t be running too much. So, we’ll have to take that into consideration.
“Obviously, I will want to win the tournament. But other than that, I’m taking the opportunity to explore the rest of the country. Who knows? I may just take the chance to visit this cool place called The Ark Hotel after the tournament. Google it!”, says Chikkarangappa.
The Asia-Pacific Classic the Asian Tour’s second stop in China this year. The tournament is promoted and operated by Beijing based promoter CGD (Beijing) Sports Industry Co., Ltd (CGDs).
Similarly, Kurt Kitayama of the United States has enjoyed a successful foray into Asia and he looks set to carry on the good momentum.
The Qualifying School graduate started the year triumphantly with a win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) followed by a tied-fourth finish at the New Zealand Open. Buoyed by his performances over the last few months, he is feeling confident heading into the tournament in China, which will be contested at the St Andrews Golf Club.
The young American is part of a strong contingent of Qualifying School graduates at the US$300,000 event that is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the China Golf Association (CGA).
The list includes recently-crowned ADT Tour champion Shohei Hasegawa of Japan as well as Ben Campbell of New Zealand and Jack Harrison of England, who both finished tied-second in Bangladesh last week.
Prom Meesawat of Thailand, the highest-ranked player on the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings this week, feels that his game is on the ascendency. The experienced golfer has only missed one cut this year (not taking into consideration his withdrawal in Korea two weeks ago). Prom is targeting his third Asian Tour win at the Asia-Pacific Classic.
Did you Know:
- Chikkarangappa S. is a two-time ADT winner. Both victories were achieved in India.
- He finished 61st on the 2017 Asian Tour Order of Merit, which was just enough to secure his Tour card for 2018.
- The Asia-Pacific Classic is Chikkarangappa’s first professional tournament in China. He competed twice in the country previously as an amateur.
Asian Tour Release
