Strong Indian challenge at Asia-Pacific Panasonic golf

KOBE - Gaganjeet Bhullar, the only Indian to have won on the Asian Tour this year, will lead the Indian challenge at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open beginning here Thursday.

The other Indians in the field include Anirban Lahiri, who is still waiting for his maiden Asian Tour title, S.S.P. Chowrasia, who is planning to play more Asian Tour events to complete his quota of nine events this season, and C.Muniyappa, the Hero Honda Indian Open winner.

Bhullar, Chowrasia and Lahiri tied for eighth at the Handa Classic a fortnight ago and are looking forward to another good outing at $1.7 million event jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour.

Meanwhile, Unho Park, long regarded as one of the best players yet to win on the Asian Tour, will be gunning for a maiden triumph at the Rokko Kokusai Golf Club.

At last year’s event, Park finished tied seventh on a different venue but feels absolutely at home in Japan.

It is a classy field which includes current Asian Tour’s Order of Merit leader Noh Seung-yul of Korea, reigning Japan Tour number one Ryo Ishikawa, title holder Daisuke Maruyama and last week’s Yeangder Tournament Players Championship winner Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand.

Australian duo Marcus Fraser and Andrew Dodt, ranked second and third on the Order of Merit, Filipino Angelo Que, South African Peter Karmis, Bangladesh’s Siddikur and Sweden’s Rikard Karlberg are the otheres to take part in the event.

There will be plenty to play for at the Asia-Pacific event as a top cheque of $350,000 is at stake and could well change the shape of the race to become the new Asian Tour’s number one this season.