Ras Al Khaimah, 1 Feb: (PTI) Manu Gandas, who set the Indian Tour on fire in 2022, will make his debut as a member of the DP World Tour at the Ras Al Khaimah Championships this week.
The 26-year-old, who played alongside Shubhankar Sharma as a junior, is looking to make an early dent as he seeks greener pastures outside India.
Gandas, who won six times and topped the PGTI Order of Merit, earned himself a card on the DP World Tour as per the new alliance between the Indian Tour and the DP World Tour with the PGA Tour.
Three more Indians will get a spot on the DP World Tour Qualifying School later this year.
Gandas will be in the first group to tee off at the Al Hamra course alongside John Axelsen and Daniel Brown on Thursday.
The field also includes the Hojgaard brothers, Nicolai and Rasmus. Nicolai is the defending champion.
Meanwhile, the winner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Frenchman Victor Perez, will be the big draw at the event. He has played the layout twice before on the European Challenge Tour, finishing seventh at the Ras Al Khaimah 2017 Golf Challenge and second at the Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final a year later.
In the four years since that runners-up finish, Perez has gone on to become a three-time DP World Tour winner, including sealing a maiden Rolex Series victory at the recent Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
That triumph was sandwiched between helping Team Continental Europe win the Hero Cup and a top-30 finish at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Perez entered the final round just four shots off the lead at the Emirates Golf Club and while he was disappointed with a closing 75, he believes he will learn from his hectic run of events.
“I’ve played three weeks in a row now including the Hero Cup,” said Perez, who is also hoping to get to the PGA Tour by earning one of the 10 cards that will be available for the Top-10 DP World players, who are not exempt for the PGA Tour. (PTI)