Now needs to continue the momentum into higher level of competition on the main Asian Tour, to which he has earned an automatic re-entry basis his 5th ranking at the conclusion of the Asian Development Tour season 2025. He had lost the main Asian Tour card on the back of a rough and uninspiring 2024 season
Nine years ago, at age 17 years, this Chandigarh lad made Indian golf history, when participating in his first professional event as an amateur, he won the PGTI (Professional Golfers Tour of India) Players Championship at Tollygunge. He not only became the first Indian amateur to win on the PGTI but also the youngest golfer to do so at age 17 years and 163 days, soon after which he turned professional in 2017.
Today, at age 26 years, he is a multiple winner on PGTI and has won titles on the ADT (Asian Development Tour) and cricket great Yuvraj Singh co-promoted recently launched IGPL (Indian Golfers Premier League), to which he has moved on from the PGTI.
Now he is preparing to take another shot at the highly competitive main Asian Tour, to which he has received an automatic re-entry basis his 5th position finish on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) season 2025 final Order of Merit after having lost his tour card on the back of a rough and uninspiring 2024 season.
Last week the golfing community raised a toast to Karandeep Kochhar at a luncheon gathering, organised in his honour jointly by his grandfather Dr GS Kochhar and well-known ophthalmologist Dr SPS Grewal in the lawns of Chandigarh Club to applaud his recent run of good form, resulting in a 5th position finish on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) season 2025 rankings after the season finale, the US$ 250,000 Aramco Invitational in Saudi Arabia.
The 5th spot in the ADT season ranking, powered by two peak finishes in the 10 appearances he made on the tour in 2025 – a win at the Egypt Golf Series – Red Sea Open last month and a runner-up at Morocco Rising Stars 1 earlier in June – sealed for Karandeep an automatic spot on the coveted main 2026 Asian Tour with $43,508 in earnings. He’ll return to the main tour after a gap having slipped into poor form through 2024, following a good run in 2023.
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With this, he has become the third straight Indian to graduate to the main Asian Tour via the ADT rankings route, following Yuvraj Sandhu in 2023 and Rahil Gangjee in 2024.
Speaking exclusively with your own news portal LifeInChandigarh.com, Karandeep, who took his baby steps in golf at a tender age of four years with his grandfather, who was playing a tournament then, said while playing at the highest international level on the PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association) Tour is the ultimate goal of every professional golfer, he prefers to set short term goals at a time, and achieve them before looking ahead. “For the next two years I will concentrate on participating in and doing well on the main Asian Tour”, he added.
While profusely acknowledging the vital role played by his coach since childhood Jesse Grewal and his fitness trainer Sagar Diwan in shaping his golfing career, Karandeep said “I consider myself equally fortunate to be from Chandigarh because it has given me the opportunity to play alongside and learn from top golfers like main Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar.”
Among others whom he expressed his gratefulness for what he is today, apart from his “highly supportive family”, are top professional Shiv Kapur and cricket great turned co-promoter of recently launched IGPL Yuvraj Singh.
About preparing for the challenges ahead, Karandeep said “extensive travel and participation in tournaments (he has competed in 32 tournaments this year) puts a heavy load on the body and mind. Therefore, I’m concentrating on maintaining peak physical fitness and trying to remain injury-free. Mental conditioning to remain calm and composed in pressure situations is another area of focus for which I am receiving professional help,” he added.
Refusing to be drawn into the controversy surrounding the newly launched IGPL being a rival or challenge to the more established PGTI, Karandeep confessed that it was a very difficult decision for him to make, having to choose between continuing PGTI and switching to IGPL. It took me a good month and a half to arrive at a final decision to go with IGPL. In hindsight I believe I made the right move. It gives me greater flexibility to play the main Asian Tour and return to IGPL as and when possible. Plus, it offers greater financial support,” he shared.
Karandeep Kochhar’s guidance for parents of budding golfers is “let the children enjoy. Don’t push them too hard and expect early success because they run the risk of burning out at a very young age.” He was however happy to note that the “story is changing. Parents are increasingly playing a supportive role, as they should. They are realising that modern day kids may not want what their parents want or expect of them to do. By pushing them too hard they run the risk of breaking that fragile bond, that personal relationship.”
“One thing which I have learnt over time from my senior and mentors, and which has kept me in good stead, is to trust the process, stay the course, and results will come,” he added further.
Some of Karandeep Kochhar’s Career Highlights
2016
- Won the All India Amateur
- India’s No. 1 junior with four titles, including the Eastern India Junior
- Represented India at international events such as Jakarta Junior World Championship, Asia Junior Championship and the Junior Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in USA
- Won the PGTI Players Championship at Tollygunge as an amateur in his first appearance in a professional tournament
His other PGTI wins
- TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship Presented by Chandigarh Golf Club 2020
- Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational Presented by TAKE 2020
- Gujarat Open Golf Championship 2022 presented by Gujarat Tourism
2017
- In his rookie season as a professional, secured tied second place at the Asian Tour’s Panasonic Open India and tied fourth place at the PGTI’s TAKE Open Golf Championship
2018
- Posted three top-10s on the PGTI to finish 9th on the PGTI money list. His best result during the season was runner-up at the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational 2018 Presented by TAKE.
2019
- Six top-10s on the PGTI, helping him take the 4th place on the PGTI Order of Merit. His top results included second place at the INDO-MIM Presents Bengaluru Open 2019 Powered by Karnataka Tourism, third place at the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational 2019 Presented by TAKE and tied third at the Bengal Open
- Claimed tied 10th place at the Asian Tour’s Yeangder TPC 2019
2020-21
- Finished 2nd in the 2020-21 PGTI Order of Merit, registering two wins and seven other top-10s. His wins came at the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship Presented by Chandigarh Golf Club and the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational 2020 Presented by TAKE. He also took second place at the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship 2020 Presented by Panchkula Golf Club and the Golconda Masters Telangana Open 2021 presented by Vooty & Haldi.
2022
- Won the Gujarat Open Golf Championship 2022 presented by Gujarat Tourism. Six other top-10s during the season, including a runner-up finish at the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational 2022 presented by TAKE, which saw him finish 5th on the PGTI’s money list in 2022.
2025
- Win on the ADT at the Egypt Golf Series – Red Sea Open
- Runner-up at Morocco Rising Stars 1
- Maiden IGPL victory at the IGPL Invitational UAE in Dubai
- Runner-up finish at the IGPL Invitational Kolkata
