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  Chikkarangappa hopes to find breakthrough in Vietnam

Chikkarangappa hopes to find breakthrough in Vietnam

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Dec 1, 2015, 10:13 pm IST
Updated : Dec 1, 2015, 10:13 pm IST

Eyeing his maiden Asian Tour title, rising golfer S. Chikkarangappa will be part of a dozen strong Indian challenge at the $1.5 million Ho Tram Open at the Bluffs Ho Tram strip in Vietnam.

S. Chikkarangappa
 S. Chikkarangappa

Eyeing his maiden Asian Tour title, rising golfer S. Chikkarangappa will be part of a dozen strong Indian challenge at the $1.5 million Ho Tram Open at the Bluffs Ho Tram strip in Vietnam.

Having won twice on the ADT tour, once each in 2014 and 2015 in his hometown, Bengaluru, Chikkrangappa is keen on adding an Asian Tour title to his resume and is not putting himself under pressure as he is lying 66th on the Order of Merit and needs to get into top-60 by the end of this last leg of three events, including this week in Vietnam.

For that he is calming himself and speaking to his coach, Vijay Divecha and friend and mentor Anirban Lahiri.

“I’m not going to think about my Order of Merit position. I know I am at my peak now. If I can go out and play like how I’ve been playing then I think saving my card is not a problem. I talked to my coach and to Lahiri and they’ve told me not to worry about it,” Chikka said,

“This is my first time here and this golf course is beautiful. I’m so impressed with how the way the golf course is set up. You have many interesting par threes and par fives and with the course facing the ocean, it makes this course very picturesque. It is amazing here.”

Other Indians in the field include Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal, Jyoti Randhawa, Chiragh Kumar, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Shiv Kapur, Rashid Khan, Rahil Gangjee, Khalin Joshi, Himmat Rai and Subhankar Sharma. Also in the starters is Daniel Chopra, two-time winner of PGA events in the US.

Meanwhile, Asia’s lone Major champion Y.E. Yang hopes to rediscover his winning touch at the event which starts on Thursday.

As with most players in the elite 132-man field, the Korean star, who is an Asian Tour honorary member, was captivated by the picturesque and award-winning course, which is a Greg Norman design.