Bhullar closing in on European Tour card

Currently India's highest ranked player in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) at No.150, Gaganjeet Bhullar is closing in to earn full European Tour playing rights for 2014.

The European Tour, which covers around 45 tournaments with approximately 133 million euros as prize money and visits 25 countries, is considered the second most lucrative tour behind the USPGA Tour.

In February, the 25-year-old gave himself a flying start when he bagged a cheque of 200,000 euros with his second place finish at the Avantha Masters in Greater Noida.

Bhullar's exploits in Europe have placed him at 102nd position in the Tour rankings, known as the Race to Dubai. The top 110 players earn their playing rights automatically for the following year.

Last season, the 110th player on the European Tour earned 203,365 euros and Bhullar, who was recently conferred with the Arjuna Award, has already passed that figure with total earning of 228,355 euros.

With Bhullar, who hails from Kapurthala, all but confirmed for the $8.5 million HSBC World Championship, where he will be guaranteed a minimum of $ 25,000, his position on the 2014 European Tour is close to being secured.

If granted a full card, Bhullar will join Jeev Milkha Singh as the only Indians on the tour. In the past, Arjun Atwal (a two-time winner on the European Tour), Jyoti Randhawa (an eight time winner on the Asian Tour), S.S.P. Chowrasia (two time European Tour winner) and Shiv Kapur have represented India in Europe.

A full European Tour card will give Bhullar a chance to play a minimum of 18 starts next year. A full card will allow him to earn points faster, as the European Tour carries higher world ranking points, might get him into the world top-50.