Khalin finished Tied-12th as the only Indian to have made the cut across Asian and European Tours last week
Last week proved difficult yet again for Indian men’s golf on the international stage, with underwhelming performances across the Asian Tour, Asian Development Tour (ADT), and DP World (European) Tour (DPWT). The trend of limited cuts made and inconsistent form continues to highlight the widening performance gap between Indian professionals and their Asian and European counterparts.
Asian Tour: All 3 Indians Miss Cut
At the Korea Open Golf Championship, the three Indian players in the field—Yuvraj Sandhu, Jeev Milkha Singh, and SSP Chawrasia—failed to make the 36-hole cut.
The event, part of The Open Qualifying Series, was won by Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana by two-shots over countryman Poom Saksansin. With the win, Sadom also secured a berth at The Open at Royal Portrush and moved to the top of the Asian Tour Rankings, overtaking LIV Golf’s Carlos Ortiz of Mexico and 2025 Hero Indian Open winner Ollie Schniederjans of USA.
In sharp contrast, Indian players failed to contend. Once dominant on the Asian Tour—particularly in comparison to Thailand—India’s absence from the leaderboard marks a notable shift. A decade and a half ago, the tables were reversed with Indian names consistently populating top-tier finishes.
The Asian Tour now heads into a five-week break, resuming with the $2 million International Series Morocco, scheduled for July 3–6 in Indonesia.
Asian Development Tour (ADT): Only 1/5 Indians makes the cut
At the Singha Laguna Phuket Open from May 22–24, held at Laguna Golf Phuket, only one out of five Indian players made the cut. 2018 Panasonic Open India champion Khalin Joshi of Bangalore delivered rounds of 70-67-69, finishing Tied-12th at 4-under 206 in his first ADT appearance of the season.
Rahil Gangjee, a two-time Asian Tour champion and third on the ADT Rankings last year, narrowly missed the cut by two strokes. He posted scores of 70 and 72, finishing at 2-over 142.
The other 3 Indian players who missed the cut included:
- Arjun Prasad: 3-over 143
- Aman Raj: 5-over 145
- Arjun Sharma: 12-over 152
DP World Tour: Both Indians Miss Cut
The struggles continued on the DP World Tour, where India’s only two representatives, Shubhankar Sharma and Veer Ahlawat, failed to make the cut at the $2.75 million Soudal Open, held at Rinkven International GC in Belgium.
For Veer, it’s his fifth missed cut in ten starts this season, as he struggles to make the transition from Asia to Europe.
Shubhankar Sharma has now missed eight cuts in 12 starts this year and will likely need at least one victory or multiple Top-5 finishes in the second half of the year to retain his playing rights for 2026.
The event was won by Kristoffer Reitan of Norway, who shot a course-record 62 in the final round before winning in a playoff—marking his first DP World Tour title.
The next event on the DPWT calendar is the $2.75 million Austrian Alpine Open, scheduled for May 29 to June 1 at Gut Altentann Golf Club in Salzburg, Austria.
The collective result—zero cuts made on the Asian and European Tours, and only one Indian inside the top-15 on the ADT—reflects a broader trend that has persisted throughout the 2025 season. Once a dominant force in Asia, Indian men’s golf now finds itself increasingly on the periphery of leaderboards, outperformed by fast-progressing other countries.
While India’s presence and performance in women’s golf and junior ranks has seen significant traction, the professional men’s side appears to be at a critical crossroads, both in terms of competitiveness and international stature.