Rayhan and other Indians start at AAC, dreaming of a spot in Masters

Eyeing a spot at the coveted Augusta Masters, Rayhan Thomas will lead the Indian amateur team at the 10th edition of the much-awaited Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships, the strongest amateur event in the region.

The event has the best rewards for amateurs in this part of the world with the winner assured of a start in both the 2019 Masters and 2019 The Open at Royal Portrush in Ireland.

Thomas, the 19-year-old Dubai-based golfer, leads the six-member Indian squad, which was chosen by the Asia-Pacific organisers on the basis of their World Amateur Golf Ranking.

The other Indians in the field are Kshitij Naveed Kaul, Kartik Sharma, Varun Parikh, Yuvraj Sandhu and Vinay Kumar Yadav.

Three of the six Rayhan Thomas, Yuvraj Sandhu and Kshitij Kaul are featuring in their third Asia-Pacific event, while Kartik Sharma, Varun Parikh and Vinay Kumar Yadav are making their debut in this storied annual event.

Of the six, Sandhu plans to turn pro after this outing and will play on the Indian domestic Tour to start with.

Thomas, who is often seen as the best emerging talent from India, recently finished T-13 at the Asian Games, but was very disappointed at not being able to get onto the podium.

He said, "I am really looking forward to this tournament. It is my third year playing the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship and I have played well before, but I do like my chances this year. It is one of the biggest events we play as amateurs every year and I want to be in contention come Sunday afternoon."