Come November, and Karandeep’s taking care of business as usual

It’s as if Karandeep Kochhar waits the whole year for November to come.

Last year, the 24-year-old from Chandigarh was 74th in the Asian Tour Order of Merit going into the penultimate month of the season, and he finished a battling fourth in Bangladesh to jump inside the top-60 and secure his card for 2023.

This year, he had put together a solid season to be 61st by the end of October. And then, thanks to a spectacular final round of eight-under 64, he finished tied 5th in Volvo China Open last week and vaulted up to 46th. More importantly, he went to No37 in the International Series Order of Merit, which more or less guarantees him a place in the highly-anticipated LIV Golf Promotional event in Abu Dhabi next month.

Two of his biggest wins on the domestic Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) also came in November and December – the 2020 PGTI Players Championship, and the 2020 Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational (both at his home Chandigarh Golf Club).

“It’s a great time to hit some form,” said Kochhar after shooting a four-under par 66 in the second round of the $2 million Hong Kong Open, the second successive International Series event on the Asian Tour. “It’s the business end of the season after all.

“But I think I have always been a bit like that. If you put me in a pressure situation, I tend to do better. That’s a part of being a professional golfer… you have to learn how to play under pressure.

“Last week, before China, I sat down and asked myself ‘What’s the worst that can happen to you Karan?’ It’s not the end of the world. If I need to go back to the Asian Tour Qualifying School, so be it. That helped me free up my mind a bit. I wanted to play the kind of carefree golf I used to play in my younger days. I just wanted to get those kinds of feelings back, and it helped.”

November is also special for Karandeep because his mother Reshma’s birthday is on the 4th, and father Sandeep’s birthday is on 14th.

“Of course, my mom promptly reminded me that I played well last week because it was her birthday!” said Karan. “Both of them are coming to Jakarta for next week’s Indonesian Masters and we are going to celebrate dad’s 50th there. So, hopefully, this good form continues for another week and it would be perfect to have them there as well.”

At the Hong Kong Open, Kochhar started with a three-under par 67, followed by a 66 to be tied 12th, five shots behind the leader, Phachara Khongwatmai of Thailand. Among other Indians who made the cut were Gaganjeet Bhullar (also -7), Ajeetesh Sandhu (-6, T21), Rashid Khan (-4, T40) and Veer Ahlawat (-3, T52).

The Volvo China Open week was difficult for Karandeep because it clashed with the Jeev Milkjha Singh Invitational on the PGTI Tour, and was also held at Chandigarh Golf Club. His beloved grandfather, Dr GS Kochhar, with whom he is very close, is one of the longest-serving committee members of the club and he wasn’t very happy with his grandson missing a tournament at his home club.

“I won’t say it was a very difficult decision from my career point of view. But yes, if it wasn’t an International Series event and was clashing against a regular $300,000-$400,000 tournament, I would have played Jeev sir’s event. He has been my idol growing up, and I love playing before my family and friends in Chandigarh,” said Kochhar.

“But my grandfather wasn’t happy. He is very passionate about the club. I needed to sit down and explain my position. Of course, he was over the moon when I finished in the top-5 in China. Both my grandfather and grandmother are here in Hong Kong this week and they are loving it.”

Qualifying for LIV Golf’s Promotional event is an added bonus. Finishing inside the top-40 in the International Series Order of Merit would give him an opportunity to become only the third player to feature in a LIV Golf event (Anirban Lahiri is a contracted player and Viraj Madappa played in the inaugural LIV event in London in 2022).

“I am excited about it. I really think LIV Golf is the best Tour in the world,” said Karandeep.

“However, it was never a goal for me at the start of the year, so if I can make it to Abu Dhabi, and then if I can qualify, it would be amazing. I have at least six more rounds to take care of before that (weekend in Hong Kong and Jakarta), and I want to be completely focused on that.”