Gaganjeet Bhullar

Last updated

Gaganjeet Bhullar
Bhullar golfer from India.JPG
Personal information
Full nameGaganjeet Singh Bhullar
Born (1988-04-27) 27 April 1988 (age 36)
Amritsar, Punjab, India
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Sporting nationalityFlag of India.svg  India
Residence Kapurthala, India
Career
Turned professional2006
Current tour(s) Asian Tour
Professional Golf Tour of India
Former tour(s) European Tour
Professional wins25
Highest ranking 85 (17 March 2013) [1]
Number of wins by tour
European Tour1
Asian Tour11 (3rd all-time)
PGA Tour of Australasia1
Challenge Tour1
Other14
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament DNP
PGA Championship DNP
U.S. Open DNP
The Open Championship CUT: 2009
Achievements and awards
Arjuna Award 2013
Medal record
Asian Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2006 Doha Men's team

Gaganjeet Singh Bhullar (born 27 April 1988) is an Indian professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour. He was awarded Arjuna Award in 2013. [2]

Contents

Amateur career

Bhullar was born to Sikh parents in Kapurthala, India. He was India's number one amateur in 2004 and 2006 and was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2006 Asian Games. He finished in a tie for seventh in the individual competition. Bhullar turned professional in 2006.

Professional career

2006-2008

Bhullar started his professional career on the Professional Golf Tour of India where he has yet to miss a cut. He played in seven events in the 2006-07 season and never finished lower than T-18. He also recorded three top ten finishes, including two runners-up. He finished fifth on the tour's Order of Merit list. In 2007-08, he played in 14 events and recorded 10 top-10 finishes, including three runners-up. For the second year in a row, he finished in fifth on the Order of Merit. 2009 has been Bhullar's most successful year on tour but he has played in fewer tournaments due to his concentration on the Asian Tour. Bhullar has won three of the four tournaments he has played in. He won the PGTI Players Championship at Panchkula Golf Club in March, his first professional victory. He also won the PGTI Players Championship presented by Rambagh Golf Club and the PGTI Players Championship presented by Aamby Valley Golf Club in back to back weeks in May. He finished in a tie for second at the SAIL Open which was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour.

Bhullar began his career on the Asian Tour in 2007. He played in nine events, making seven cuts while recording a runner up finish at the Indonesia President Invitational. He finished in 77th on the Order of Merit with $52,413. 2008 was Bhullar's first full season on the Asian Tour. He played in 21 events, making 14 cuts while recording one top-10 finish. He didn't secure his tour card for 2009 until the second to last tournament of the year, when he finished T-11 at the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open. Bhullar entered the tournament in 67th on the Order of Merit, needing to finish in the top 65 to earn his tour card for 2009. Neven Basic, who was in 65th, missed the cut so on the final day of the event it was a battle between Bhullar and Adam Groom, who was in 66th. Bhullar entered the day three shots behind Groom but shot the best round of the day (64) while Groom shot a 75. The combination of Bhullar's eight under round and Groom's poor performance put Bhullar into 65th, only $681 ahead of Groom. [3]

2009

Bhullar's 2009 season started out slow but eventually picked up. Between March and July, Bhullar made four of six cuts, finishing in the top-10 four times. He recorded a runner up finish at the SAIL Open and recorded his first victory on the Asian Tour in July at the Indonesia President Invitational. The victory catapulted him into 10th on the Order of Merit and he jumped from 417 to 255 in the Official World Golf Rankings. [4] The victory also makes Bhullar the youngest Indian to win on the Asian Tour and gives him exempt status on the Asian Tour until 2011. [5]

The week before his win in Indonesia, Bhullar played in his first major at the 2009 Open Championship. He qualified for the Open by winning the Asian International Final Qualifying in April. [6] Bhullar put himself into position to make the cut after the first round, shooting a 71 (+1) which put him in a tie for fifteenth but his second round of 77 (+7) saw him miss the cut by four strokes. Bhullar is the youngest Indian to play in a major.

One week after his win in Indonesia, Bhullar almost picked up his second win on the Asian Tour at the Brunei Open. On the 72nd hole of the tournament he had an eight-foot birdie putt to win the tournament but he missed it. He went into a playoff with Darren Beck and Boonchu Ruangkit. Boonchu was eliminated after bogeying the second hole and Beck won the tournament on the third hole when he scored a birdie while Bhullar made par. [7] The runner-up finish helped him jump from 255 to 203rd in the Official World Golf Rankings. He ended up finishing the year 6th on the Order of Merit.

Bhullar picked up his fourth win on the Professional Golf Tour of India at the PGTI Players Championship presented by Eagleton. The win elevated him to first on the tour's Order of Merit. [8] But the very next week, Mukesh Kumar won his 3rd event of the season, replacing Bhullar at the top of the Order of Merit. His 5th win of the season came in September at the DLF Masters, winning by 5 strokes. The victory launched Bhullar to first on the Order of Merit but he finished the year in 5th. Bhullar played in the fewest events out of anyone in the top 25, a stat which greatly contributed to his 5th-place finish.

2010

Bhullar represented Asia for the 2010 Royal Trophy where Europe pulled out a narrow victory. Bhullar picked up his first victory on the Asian Tour in February at the Asian Tour International. Bhullar was six strokes behind the leader going into the final round but shot a 64 (-8) to win the event by one stroke. Bhullar's superb round set a new course record at Suwan Golf and Country Club. [9] The victory launched him from 174th to 115th in the Official World Golf Rankings, his highest ranking to date. Two months later, Bhullar finished in sixth at the SAIL Open in his home country.

Bhullar won his sixth title on the Professional Golf Tour of India at the PGTI Players Championship in May. Bhullar recorded two triple bogeys on the front nine during round three but made a fantastic recovery in the last 27 holes to win the tournament. On the back nine in the third round he shot six under and then shot a 6 under in the final round to secure the championship. [10] He finished the year 8th in the ROLEX Rankings with five top ten finishes in seven events and no missed cuts. [11]

Bhullar received a special invitation to play in the Japan PGA Championship due to his consistent performances in India and Asia. [12] He missed the cut after shooting an 80 in the second round. In his first European Tour event of the year, Bhullar finished tied for 30th in the Estoril Open de Portugal. Later in the month, he played in two tour events in India, finishing tied for third and tied for twelfth. Bhullar continued his success on the Asian Tour in July with a fourth-place finish at the Brunei Open. In September, Bhullar notched another top ten finish at the Handa Singapore Classic where he finished in a tie for 8th. Bhullar finished the year 17th on the Order of Merit, earning $165,225. He recorded four top ten finishes and only missed two cuts in 14 events.

2011

In January 2011 Bhullar won the inaugural Gujarat Kensville Challenge to become the first Indian player to win a tournament on the Challenge Tour, [13] the official development tour organised by the PGA European Tour.

On 29 January, Bhullar won the Bangladesh Open on the Professional Golf Tour of India, thanks to a 64 (-8) in the third round, the best round of the tournament by two strokes. [14] The following week he won the PGTI Players Championship in similar fashion, shooting the best round of the tournament in the third round, 65 (-7). This is the second time in his career that he has won back to back tournaments on the PGTI. On 5 March he won his third PGTI event of the year at the Aircel PGTI Players Championship.

2012

Bhullar won the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship on 17 September 2012. [15] The following month he won the Venetian Macau Open. [16]

2013

Bhullar's 2013 season started on good note. In March, Bhullar finished runner-up at Avantha Masters, earning him prize money of $258,700. He scored 20-under 268, but lost to South African Thomas Aiken by three strokes. [17]

In August, he became seventh golfer to receive the Arjuna Award since its introduction in 1961. [2]

Later in December, he won his fifth Asian Tour title with the victory at Indonesia Open. He defeated Malaysian Nicholas Fung and Chapchai Nirat from Thailand. [18] His first tournament win of the season pushed him up to fourth place on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit. The win improved Bhullar's chances to qualify for the Ryder Cup-styled EurAsia Cup where the top four Asian players at the end of the 2013 season qualify for Team Asia. [19]

2014–2018

In 2014, Bhullar played a full season on the European Tour, where his best result of tied-10th came at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in January. In 2015, Bhullar played a full season on the Asian Tour with a tied-10th at Philippine Open as his best result of the season. In 2016, Bhullar added two more wins on the Asian Tour: Shinhan Donghae Open in September and Bank BRI-JCB Indonesia Open in November, helping him finish 9th on the Order of Merit. In 2017, Bhullar once again won on the Asian Tour at the Macao Open in October and finished runner-up at the Thailand Open in May. He also had two more top-10 finishes to the season. In 2018, Bhullar's big moment came with a win at the Fiji International in August, his first European Tour victory. The win catapulted him once again to the European Tour, where he has been playing since 2019.

2019–present

In March 2019, Bhullar finished fifth at the Kenya Open for his best result of the season. The COVID-19 pandemic shortened his season in 2020. In the 2021 season, he finished joint runner-up at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in March.

Amateur wins

Professional wins (25)

European Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
15 Aug 2018 Fiji International 1−14 (70-69-69-66=274)1 stroke Flag of Australia (converted).svg Anthony Quayle

1Co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia

Asian Tour wins (11)

Legend
International Series (1)
Other Asian Tour (10)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
126 Jul 2009 Indonesia President Invitational −22 (69-68-62-67=266)2 strokes Flag of Australia (converted).svg Adam Blyth
27 Feb 2010 Asian Tour International −11 (71-71-71-64=277)1 stroke Flag of South Korea (1997-2011).svg Hwang Inn-choon
316 Sep 2012 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship −12 (66-69-69=204)*4 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jason Knutzon, Flag of Thailand.svg Thaworn Wiratchant
414 Oct 2012 Venetian Macau Open −16 (63-68-69-68=268)2 strokes Flag of the United States.svg Jonathan Moore
51 Dec 2013 Indonesia Open −16 (64-67-69-68=268)3 strokes Flag of Malaysia.svg Nicholas Fung, Flag of Thailand.svg Chapchai Nirat
62 Oct 2016 Shinhan Donghae Open 1−15 (68-66-68-67=269)1 stroke Flag of South Korea.svg Kim Tae-woo, Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Scott Vincent
721 Nov 2016 Bank BRI-JCB Indonesia Open (2)−16 (71-65-68-68=272)3 strokes Flag of Thailand.svg Danthai Boonma, Flag of Thailand.svg Panuphol Pittayarat,
Flag of India.svg Jeev Milkha Singh, Flag of the United States.svg Johannes Veerman
822 Oct 2017 Macao Open (2)−13 (64-65-74-68=271)3 strokes Flag of the Philippines.svg Angelo Que, Flag of India.svg Ajeetesh Sandhu
95 Aug 2018 Fiji International 2−14 (70-69-69-66=274)1 stroke Flag of Australia (converted).svg Anthony Quayle
107 Aug 2022 Mandiri Indonesia Open (3)−20 (68-67-68-65=268)2 strokes Flag of India.svg Rashid Khan, Flag of England.svg Steve Lewton
1119 Nov 2023 BNI Indonesian Masters −24 (63-67-63-67=260)5 strokes Flag of India.svg Karandeep Kochhar

*Note: The 2012 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.
1Co-sanctioned by the Korean Tour
2Co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia

Asian Tour playoff record (0–2)

No.YearTournamentOpponentsResult
1 2009 Brunei Open Flag of Australia (converted).svg Darren Beck, Flag of Thailand.svg Boonchu Ruangkit Beck won with birdie on third extra hole
Ruangkit eliminated by par on second hole
2 2018 GS Caltex Maekyung Open Flag of South Korea.svg Chang Yi-keun, Flag of South Korea.svg Hwang Jung-gon,
Flag of South Korea.svg Park Sang-hyun 		Park won with par on third extra hole
Hwang eliminated by birdie on second hole
Bhullar eliminated by par on first hole

Challenge Tour wins (1)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner-up
116 Jan 2011 Gujarat Kensville Challenge 1−5 (70-70-68-75=283)1 stroke Flag of England.svg Matt Ford

1Co-sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India

Professional Golf Tour of India wins (14)

No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-up
115 Mar 2009 PGTI Players Championship (Panchkula)−19 (65-73-66-65=269)7 strokes Flag of India.svg Vijay Kumar, Flag of India.svg Harendra Gupta
22 May 2009PGTI Players Championship (Rambagh)−10 (73-67-65-65=270)Playoff Flag of India.svg Himmat Rai
39 May 2009PGTI Players Championship (Aamby Valley)−21 (66-67-66-68=267)10 strokes Flag of India.svg Harmeet Kahlon
415 Aug 2009PGTI Players Championship (Eagleton)−13 (68-69-69-69=275)5 strokes Flag of India.svg Raju Ali Mollah
520 Sep 2009DLF Masters−15 (68-68-69-68=273)5 strokes Flag of India.svg Anirban Lahiri
67 May 2010 PGTI Players Championship (Bombay Presidency)−7 (66-71-70-66=273)1 stroke Flag of India.svg Shamim Khan, Flag of Bangladesh.svg Siddikur Rahman
716 Jan 2011 Gujarat Kensville Challenge 1−5 (70-70-68-75=283)1 stroke Flag of England.svg Matt Ford
829 Jan 2011 American Express Bangladesh Open −14 (68-71-64-71=274)2 strokes Flag of Bangladesh.svg Siddikur Rahman
95 Feb 2011PGTI Players Championship (Royal Calcutta)−13 (69-69-65-72=275)2 strokes Flag of India.svg Shiv Chawrasia
105 Mar 2011Aircel PGTI Players Championship (Chandigarh)−11 (67-70-72-68=277)2 strokes Flag of India.svg Shankar Das, Flag of India.svg Chiragh Kumar,
Flag of India.svg Vijay Kumar
1120 Dec 2020 Tata Steel Tour Championship−24 (69-63-64-68=264)2 strokes Flag of India.svg S. Chikkarangappa
1216 Oct 2022 Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational−15 (69-65-68-71=273)1 stroke Flag of India.svg Karandeep Kochhar
1324 Dec 2023 Tata Steel Tour Championship (2)−25 (64-66-67-66=263)1 stroke Flag of India.svg Rahil Gangjee
146 Apr 2024 Chandigarh Open−21 (67-67-65-68=267)4 strokes Flag of India.svg Angad Cheema

1Co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour

Results in major championships

Gaganjeet Bhullar Gaganjeet Bhullar.jpg
Gaganjeet Bhullar
Tournament2009
The Open Championship CUT

Note: Bhullar only played in The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut

Results in World Golf Championships

Results not in chronological order before 2015.

Tournament2009201020112012201320142015201620172018
Championship
Match Play
Invitational
Champions T74T63T46
  Did not play

"T" = tied

Team appearances

Amateur

Professional

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retief Goosen</span> South African professional golfer

Retief Goosen is a South African professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour Champions. He has won two U.S. Opens, in 2001 and 2004, headed the European Tour Order of Merit in 2001 and 2002, and was in the top ten of the world rankings for over 250 weeks between 2001 and 2007. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, class of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pádraig Harrington</span> Irish professional golfer (born 1971)

Pádraig Peter Harrington is an Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He has won three major championships: The Open Championship in 2007 and 2008 and the PGA Championship, also in 2008. He spent over 300 weeks in the top-10 of the world rankings, and reached a career-high ranking of the third spot in July 2008. Harrington was a member of six consecutive Ryder Cup teams between 1999 and 2010. In 2024, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charl Schwartzel</span> South African professional golfer

Charl Adriaan Schwartzel is a South African professional golfer who currently plays in the LIV Golf Invitational Series and has previously played on the PGA Tour, European Tour and the Sunshine Tour. He has won one major title, the Masters in 2011. Schwartzel's highest world ranking has been number six, after finishing in a tie for fourth at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeev Milkha Singh</span> Indian professional golfer

Jeev Milkha Singh is an Indian professional golfer who became the first player from India to join the European Tour in 1998. He has won four events on the European Tour, becoming the most successful Indian on tour. He was the first Indian golfer to break into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking in October 2006. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of Padma Shri in 2007. He is also the recipient of 1999 Arjuna Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thaworn Wiratchant</span> Thai professional golfer (born 1966)

Thaworn Wiratchant is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour where he holds the record for most victories, with 18 total wins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Branden Grace</span> South African professional golfer

Branden John Grace is a professional golfer from South Africa who currently plays for LIV Golf. He formerly played on the European Tour, the PGA Tour, and the Sunshine Tour. In 2012, he became the first player in the history of the European Tour to win his first four European Tour titles in the same year.

Juvic Pagunsan is a Filipino professional golfer who plays on the Japan Golf Tour and the Asian Tour. He won the 2007 Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational on the Asian Tour and the 2021 Gateway to The Open Mizuno Open on the Japan Golf Tour.

Mukesh Kumar is a professional golfer from India who currently plays on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). He has won six Order of Merit titles on the PGTI and on earlier Indian tours. In terms of professional wins he is one of India's most successful golfers. He won his first Asian Tour event in 2016 at the Panasonic Open India.

Darren Beck is an Australian professional golfer who currently plays on the Asian Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Coetzee</span> South African professional golfer

George William Coetzee is a South African professional golfer. He has won five tournaments on the European Tour and 14 on the Sunshine Tour, where he has also topped the Order of Merit on two occasions.

Amarbir Singh Lehal is an Indian professional golfer.

Mohammad Siddikur Rahman is a Bangladeshi professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour.

The Gujarat Kensville Challenge was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India, played in India. It was held for the first time in January 2011 at Kensville Golf and Country Club in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and was the season opening event on the tour. It was last played in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anirban Lahiri</span> Indian professional golfer

Anirban Lahiri is an Indian professional golfer. He has played on the Asian Tour, European Tour, PGA Tour and LIV Golf. He was awarded the 2014 Arjuna Award and was also the recipient of the "Sera Bangali" award in 2015, given by the Anandabazar Patrika.

Phachara Khongwatmai is a Thai professional golfer.

The 2018 Asian Tour was the 24th season of the modern Asian Tour, the main professional golf tour in Asia since it was established in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shubhankar Sharma</span> Indian golfer

Shubhankar Sharma is an Indian professional golfer. In December 2017, he recorded his first tour win in the Joburg Open and followed this with a second win at the Maybank Championship in February 2018. He studied at Bal Bhawan School, Bhopal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert MacIntyre</span> Scottish professional golfer (born 1996)

Robert Duncan MacIntyre is a Scottish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and PGA Tour.

Rasmus Højgaard is a Danish professional golfer who won his first European Tour event at the 2019 AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, becoming the third youngest player to win on the European Tour.

The 2023 Professional Golf Tour of India, titled as the 2023 Tata Steel Professional Golf Tour of India for sponsorship reasons, was the 16th season of the Professional Golf Tour of India, the main professional golf tour in India since it was formed in 2006.

References

  1. ↑ "Week 11 2013 Ending 17 Mar 2013" (pdf). OWGR . Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Gaganjeet Bhullar becomes seventh golfer to receive Arjuna". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "Bhullar secures tour card for 2009 in dramatic fashion". Archived from the original on 17 December 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  4. ↑ "Bhullar Comes of Age". Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
  5. ↑ Gaganjeet Bhullar Wins Maiden Asian Tour Title in Jakarta [ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Bhullar Realises Dream". Archived from the original on 6 April 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  7. ↑ Beck Lifts Maiden Title Archived 23 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ Gaganjeet Bhullar wins PGTI Players Championship presented by Eagleton – The Golf Resort [ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Brilliant Bhullar". Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
  10. ↑ Gaganjeet Bhullar Edges Out Rivals on the Final Stretch [ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ "2010 Rolex Rankings". Archived from the original on 27 August 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  12. ↑ Gaganjeet Bhullar Invited to Japan PGA Championship [ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ Bezbaruah, Ajit (17 January 2011). "Bhullar creates golfing history". The Times of India . Times News Network. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  14. ↑ Bangladesh Open Scores Archived 8 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine .
  15. ↑ "Gaganjeet Bhullar wins Yeangder Tournament Players Championship". The Times Of India. 17 September 2012. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  16. ↑ "Bhullar wins Venetian Macau Open". Fox News. 14 October 2012. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  17. ↑ "Thomas Aiken wins Avantha Masters, Gaganjeet Bhullar signs off 2nd". NDTV. Archived from the original on 24 January 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  18. ↑ "Gutsy Bhullar seals Indonesia Open title". Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  19. ↑ "Bhullar eyes EurAsia Cup place". Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.