Early this month, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu carded 9-under in the Aramco Invitational at the Rolling Hills Golf Course in Riyadh to finish tied 11th. While the result doesn’t scream for attention, it marked an important step in the golfer’s career. By virtue of that performance, Sandhu finished eighth on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit to earn his maiden Asian Tour card.
It is the 26-year-old Sandhu’s “first major step” towards realising his long-standing goal – competing in the majors. Making the cut for the Asian Tour was one of the targets Sandhu had set for himself at the start of the year and the sense of achievement was apparent.
“I have always dreamt of competing in the majors and winning trophies at the international level. This marks the first big step towards my larger goals. I am elated and proud,” he said.
The Chandigarh golfer has been making the right noises in the domestic circuit for a few years. Having turned professional in 2018, he showed the first signs of his talent in 2019 when he won on the PGTI Feeder Tour twice and secured three other top-10 finishes. In the Covid-marred 2020-21 PGTI season, Sandhu claimed 12 top-10s, but it was only last year that he broke through. Sandhu won five PGTI titles in 2022, equalling the record of domestic stalwart Ashok Kumar.
“It was a great year and it gave me confidence to achieve bigger things this year. I was determined to get the Asian Tour card,” he said. That meant Sandhu had to forgo the comfort of domestic tournaments and test himself in the Asian Development Tour (ADT). No Indian had earned the Asian Tour card through the ADT route. There was, however, a small matter of dealing with bad form.
“I didn’t have a great start to the year. My rhythm was a bit off and I feel I was playing a little too frequently. My fitness was not great either,” he recalled.
Sandhu’s best result in the first four months of the year was a T-21 at the PGTI Players Championship on his home course. He took a two-and-a-half month break from mid-May to redraw his plans. Together with his coach Jesse Grewal, Sandhu went about tightening his game.
“Technique-wise I was fine, but my fitness needed some work. I spent a lot of time in the gym. Me and my coach also worked on my schedule and we decided that I will have to play week after week, my fitness ought to be up to scratch.”
Sandhu returned to the circuit reinvigorated and hungry. After finishing T-8 at The Indonesia Pro-Am in August, he got his maiden international win at BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur tournament. “That was when I truly believed that getting the Asian Tour card was a real possibility. I always wanted an international win under my belt and to finally get one after turning around an ordinary season was superb,” he said.
The Asian Tour card means that Sandhu, who has competed in 17 tournaments this year, will regularly tee off in quality fields next year. “I would like to get some international wins under my belt and accumulate some vital ranking points. All of that will come in handy when time comes to select the team for the Paris Olympics,” he said.
It is easier said than done as his compatriot Manu Gandas found out this year. A 2022 PGTI Order of Merit leader, Gandas transitioned to the DP World Tour but failed to make a mark and couldn’t retain his European Tour card. “I don’t think it will be an easy year, but I’ll be ready for the challenge,” he said.