26 year old Karandeep Kochhar of Chandigarh recorded his second top-five finish of the season, carding rounds of 67-65-73-67 to finish tied-fifth at 12-under 272 at the US$2 million International Series Japan last week.
Kochhar has now earned US$101,521 from just three starts on the Asian Tour this season, moving up to fifth on the rankings.
He secured his Asian Tour card for 2026 after winning on the Asian Development Tour in Egypt last November.
Kochhar’s start has given hope to Indian fans as India’s presence on the Asian Tour has also dipped. Whereas a decade ago, India used to regularly feature 3 to 4 players in the top 20 of the Asian Tour, in 2024, only four Indians were ranked inside the top 100. That number dropped to three in 2025, and currently Kochhar is the only Indian inside the top 100. With the season still in its early stages, there remains an opportunity for others to move up, especially with four players securing playing rights through the Qualifying Tournament for 2026.
Veteran Jeev Milkha Singh, age 54, showed he can still compete against players half his age, also made the cut with strong opening rounds of 72-69 but a 3rd round 78 set him back as he finished 70th.
Among those who missed the cut were Shaurya Bhattacharya (75-69), Gaganjeet Bhullar (73-74), veterans Jyoti Randhawa (80-69) and S.S.P. Chawrasia (77-79).
Indians will get another chance to boost their rankings in Singapore for the second International Series event of the season from April 23-26 at Sentosa GC.
Photo – Asian Tour
