Gaganjeet Singh Bhullar (born 27 April 1988) is an Indian

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

who plays on the

European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...

. He was awarded

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...

in 2013.

Amateur career

Bhullar was born to Sikh parents in

Kapurthala, India Kapurthala is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. The aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent build ...

. He was India's number one amateur in 2004 and 2006 and was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the

2006 Asian Games 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

. He finished in a tie for seventh in the individual competition. Bhullar turned professional in 2006.

Professional career

2006-2008

Bhullar started his professional career on the Professional Golf Tour of India where he has yet to miss a cut. He played in seven events in the 2006-07 season and never finished lower than T-18. He also recorded three top ten finishes, including two runners-up. He finished fifth on the tour's Order of Merit list. In 2007-08, he played in 14 events and recorded 10 top-10 finishes, including three runners-up. For the second year in a row, he finished in fifth on the Order of Merit. 2009 has been Bhullar's most successful year on tour but he has played in fewer tournaments due to his concentration on the Asian Tour. Bhullar has won three of the four tournaments he has played in. He won the PGTI Players Championship at Panchkula Golf Club in March, his first professional victory. He also won the PGTI Players Championship presented by Rambagh Golf Club and the PGTI Players Championship presented by Aamby Valley Golf Club in back to back weeks in May. He finished in a tie for second at the

SAIL Open The SAIL-SBI Open was a golf tournament on the Asian Tour, played in India between 2008 and 2014. It was co-sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India. The title sponsors were Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and State Bank of India ...

which was co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour. Bhullar began his career on the Asian Tour in 2007. He played in nine events, making seven cuts while recording a runner up finish at the Indonesia President Invitational. He finished in 77th on the Order of Merit with $52,413. 2008 was Bhullar's first full season on the Asian Tour. He played in 21 events, making 14 cuts while recording one top-10 finish. He didn't secure his tour card for 2009 until the second to last tournament of the year, when he finished T-11 at the Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open. Bhullar entered the tournament in 67th on the Order of Merit, needing to finish in the top 65 to earn his tour card for 2009. Neven Basic, who was in 65th, missed the cut so on the final day of the event it was a battle between Bhullar and

Adam Groom Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

, who was in 66th. Bhullar entered the day three shots behind Groom but shot the best round of the day (64) while Groom shot a 75. The combination of Bhullar's eight under round and Groom's poor performance put Bhullar into 65th, only $681 ahead of Groom.

2009

Bhullar's 2009 season started out slow but eventually picked up. Between March and July, Bhullar made four of six cuts, finishing in the top-10 four times. He recorded a runner up finish at the SAIL Open and recorded his first victory on the Asian Tour in July at the Indonesia President Invitational. The victory catapulted him into 10th on the Order of Merit and he jumped from 417 to 255 in the

Official World Golf Rankings The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of professional golfers. It was started in 1986. The rankings are based on a player's position in individual tournaments (i.e. not pairs or team events) over a "rolli ...

. The victory also makes Bhullar the youngest Indian to win on the Asian Tour and gives him exempt status on the Asian Tour until 2011. The week before his win in Indonesia, Bhullar played in his first

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

at the

2009 Open Championship The 2009 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and the 138th Open Championship, held from 16–19 July at the Ailsa Course of the Turnberry Resort, in Ayrshire, Scotland. Stewart Cink won his only major championship after a f ...

. He qualified for the Open by winning the Asian International Final Qualifying in April. Bhullar put himself into position to make the cut after the first round, shooting a 71 (+1) which put him in a tie for fifteenth but his second round of 77 (+7) saw him miss the cut by four strokes. Bhullar is the youngest Indian to play in a major. One week after his win in Indonesia, Bhullar almost picked up his second win on the Asian Tour at the

Brunei Open The Brunei Open was an Asian Tour golf tournament. The 2005 staging was Brunei's first ever professional golf tournament, and it was won by Terry Pilkadaris of Australia. The event is held at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course at the Empire Hote ...

. On the 72nd hole of the tournament he had an eight-foot birdie putt to win the tournament but he missed it. He went into a playoff with Darren Beck and Boonchu Ruangkit. Boonchu was eliminated after bogeying the second hole and Beck won the tournament on the third hole when he scored a birdie while Bhullar made par. The runner-up finish helped him jump from 255 to 203rd in the Official World Golf Rankings. He ended up finishing the year 6th on the Order of Merit. Bhullar picked up his fourth win on the Professional Golf Tour of India at the PGTI Players Championship presented by Eagleton. The win elevated him to first on the tour's Order of Merit. But the very next week, Mukesh Kumar won his 3rd event of the season, replacing Bhullar at the top of the Order of Merit. His 5th win of the season came in September at the DLF Masters, winning by 5 strokes. The victory launched Bhullar to first on the Order of Merit but he finished the year in 5th. Bhullar played in the fewest events out of anyone in the top 25, a stat which greatly contributed to his 5th-place finish.

2010

Bhullar represented Asia for the 2010 Royal Trophy where Europe pulled out a narrow victory. Bhullar picked up his first victory on the Asian Tour in February at the

Asian Tour International The Asian Tour International was a golf tournament on the Asian Tour, played in Thailand from 2008 to 2010. In 2009, following the cancellation of the Indian Masters, Emaar-MGF Indian Masters, the Asian Tour International was rescheduled to be the ...

. Bhullar was six strokes behind the leader going into the final round but shot a 64 (-8) to win the event by one stroke. Bhullar's superb round set a new course record at Suwan Golf and Country Club. The victory launched him from 174th to 115th in the Official World Golf Rankings, his highest ranking to date. Two months later, Bhullar finished in sixth at the

in his home country. Bhullar won his sixth title on the Professional Golf Tour of India at the PGTI Players Championship in May. Bhullar recorded two triple bogeys on the front nine during round three but made a fantastic recovery in the last 27 holes to win the tournament. On the back nine in the third round he shot six under and then shot a 6 under in the final round to secure the championship. He finished the year 8th in the ROLEX Rankings with five top ten finishes in seven events and no missed cuts. Bhullar received a special invitation to play in the

Japan PGA Championship The is a professional golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour, and is one of the tour's four major championships. It was founded in 1926, making it one of the oldest professional tournaments in Japan, and is played at a variety of courses througho ...

due to his consistent performances in India and Asia. He missed the cut after shooting an 80 in the second round. In his first European Tour event of the year, Bhullar finished tied for 30th in the

Estoril Open de Portugal The Open de Portugal, previously the Portuguese Open, is an annual professional golf tournament, currently played on the Challenge Tour. History It was first played in 1953, and was part of the European Tour's schedule from 1973 to 2010. After a ...

. Later in the month, he played in two tour events in India, finishing tied for third and tied for twelfth. Bhullar continued his success on the Asian Tour in July with a fourth-place finish at the

. In September, Bhullar notched another top ten finish at the Handa Singapore Classic where he finished in a tie for 8th. Bhullar finished the year 17th on the Order of Merit, earning $165,225. He recorded four top ten finishes and only missed two cuts in 14 events.

2011

In January 2011 Bhullar won the inaugural

Gujarat Kensville Challenge The Gujarat Kensville Challenge was a golf tournament on the Challenge Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India, played in India. It was held for the first time in January 2011 at Kensville Golf and Country Club in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Guj ...

to become the first Indian player to win a tournament on the

Challenge Tour The Challenge Tour is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and, as with on the main European Tour and the European Senior Tour, some of the events are played outside Europe. History The ...

, the official development tour organised by the

PGA European Tour The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fift ...

. On 29 January, Bhullar won the Bangladesh Open on the Professional Golf Tour of India, thanks to a 64 (-8) in the third round, the best round of the tournament by two strokes. The following week he won the PGTI Players Championship in similar fashion, shooting the best round of the tournament in the third round, 65 (-7). This is the second time in his career that he has won back to back tournaments on the PGTI. On 5 March he won his third PGTI event of the year at the Aircel PGTI Players Championship.

2012

Bhullar won the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship on 17 September 2012. The following month he won the Venetian Macau Open.

2013

Bhullar's 2013 season started on good note. In March, Bhullar finished runner-up at

Avantha Masters The Avantha Masters was a professional golf tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour, Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India. The tournament was played at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Delhi from 2010 to 2012 and moved to J ...

, earning him prize money of $258,700. He scored 20-under 268, but lost to South African

Thomas Aiken Thomas Edward Aiken (born 16 July 1983) is a South African professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and Sunshine Tour. Career Following a successful amateur career, which included being named the South African Amateur of the Year in ...

by three strokes. In August, he became seventh golfer to receive the

since its introduction in 1961. Later in December, he won his fifth Asian Tour title with the victory at Indonesia Open. He defeated Malaysian Nicholas Fung and

Chapchai Nirat Chapchai Nirat ( th, ชัพชัย นิราช; born 5 June 1983) is a Thai professional golfer. Chapchai is the son of a Thai national team golfer, and turned professional in 1998 as a fifteen-year-old. He won for the first time as a pr ...

from Thailand. His first tournament win of the season pushed him up to fourth place on the Asian Tour's Order of Merit. The win improved Bhullar's chances to qualify for the Ryder Cup-styled

EurAsia Cup The EurAsia Cup was a biennial men's professional team golf tournament between teams representing Europe and Asia. It started in 2014, superseding the Royal Trophy which had been played from 2006 to 2013. It was previously held at the Glenmarie ...

where the top four Asian players at the end of the 2013 season qualify for Team Asia.

2014–2018

In 2014, Bhullar played a full season on the European Tour, where his best result of tied-10th came at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in January. In 2015, Bhullar played a full season on the Asian Tour with a tied-10th at Philippine Open as his best result of the season. In 2016, Bhullar added two more wins on the Asian Tour:

Shinhan Donghae Open The Shinhan Donghae Open is a men's professional golf tournament that has been held annually in South Korea since 1981. It has been an Asian Tour event since 2016. And it became the first event to be tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Korean PGA and ...

in September and Bank BRI-JCB Indonesia Open in November, helping him finish 9th on the Order of Merit. In 2017, Bhullar once again won on the Asian Tour at the Macao Open in October and finished runner-up at the Thailand Open in May. He also had two more top-10 finishes to the season. In 2018, Bhullar's big moment came with a win at the

Fiji International The Fiji International was a men's golf tournament in Fiji, sanctioned by the PGA Tour of Australasia. The Fiji International was Fiji's first internationally broadcast golf tournament to a worldwide audience across more than 30 countries in over ...

in August, his first European Tour victory. The win catapulted him once again to the European Tour, where he has been playing since 2019.

2019–present

In March 2019, Bhullar finished fifth at the

Kenya Open The Kenya Open, titled as the Magical Kenya Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tournament in Kenya founded in 1967. History The Kenya Open was an associate event on the Far East Circuit in 1967 and 1968, after which it became a ...

for his best result of the season. The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

shortened his season in 2020. In the 2021 season, he finished joint runner-up at the

Commercial Bank Qatar Masters The Qatar Masters was a European Tour golf tournament held at Doha Golf Club in Doha, Qatar. When founded in 1998, it was one of two European Tour events to be staged in the Arabian Peninsula, but was at one point, one of six. From 2005 to 2007 ...

in March.

Amateur wins

*2005 World Junior Masters Championship

Professional wins (22)

European Tour wins (1)

¹Co-sanctioned by the

Asian Tour The Asian Tour is the principal men's professional golf tour in Asia except for Japan, which has its own Japan Golf Tour, which is also a full member of the International Federation of PGA Tours. Official money events on the tour count for Wor ...

and the

PGA Tour of Australasia The PGA Tour of Australasia, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia, is a professional golf tour for men, owned and operated by the PGA of Australia. Official events on the tour count for World Golf Ra ...

Asian Tour wins (10)

''*Note: The 2012 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship was shortened to 54 holes due to weather.''
¹Co-sanctioned by the

Korean Tour The Korean Tour is a men's professional golf tour run by the Korea Professional Golfers' Association (KPGA) of South Korea. In 2011, it had total prize money of about US$14 million. Professional golf in Korea dates back to the mid 20th century. ...

²Co-sanctioned by the

and the

Asian Tour playoff record (0–2)

Challenge Tour wins (1)

¹Co-sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India

Professional Golf Tour of India wins (12)

¹Co-sanctioned by the

Results in major championships

''Note: Bhullar only played in The Open Championship.''
CUT = missed the half-way cut

Results in World Golf Championships

''Results not in chronological order before 2015.'' "T" = tied

Team appearances

Amateur *

Eisenhower Trophy The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958, it is named after Dwight D. Eisen ...

(representing India):

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Professional *

Royal Trophy The Royal Trophy was a men's professional team golf tournament which was played between 2006 and 2013. The competing teams represented Europe and Asia. Eight man teams played a series of 16 matches involving foursomes, four-ball and singles for the ...

(representing Asia):

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

(representing India):

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

(representing Asia):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

References

External links

* * *
Profile on the Indian Tour's official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhullar, Gaganjeet Indian male golfers Asian Tour golfers European Tour golfers Asian Games medalists in golf Asian Games silver medalists for India Golfers at the 2006 Asian Games Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games Recipients of the Arjuna Award Sportspeople from Amritsar People from Kapurthala Punjabi people 1988 births Living people

Amateur career

Professional career

2006-2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014–2018

2019–present

Amateur wins

Professional wins (22)

European Tour wins (1)

Asian Tour wins (10)

Challenge Tour wins (1)

Professional Golf Tour of India wins (12)

Results in major championships

Results in World Golf Championships

Team appearances

See also

References

External links