Rashid Khan wins Rolex Player of the Year Award

Kolkata: Rashid Khan of Delhi claimed number one position on the 2013 Rolex Rankings after finishing sixth at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship. Rashid’s total earnings for the 2013 season were Rs. 46,38,284. He thus sealed the Rolex Player of the Year title. Rashid, the Rolex Rankings runner-up last year, posted 10 top-10s in 2013 which included two wins.

Rashid said, “It’s been a highly satisfying year for me. I won two events and was in contention in a number of events. Importantly, I’ve improved on last year when I finished second in the rankings. This is a huge boost for me as I’ll be playing as a full-card holder on the Asian Tour next year.”

Chikkarangappa S of Bangalore was second on the Rolex Rankings with earnings of Rs. 32,65,313 post his tied eighth place finish at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship. Chikkarangappa, who had one win and nine other top-10s in the season, also won the Emerging Player of the Year race as he recorded the maximum earnings among all the rookies in the 2013 season.

Chikka said, “When I began the year my target was a top-10 finish on the Rolex Rankings. But as the year progressed, I thought I had a realistic chance of finishing in the top-3 for the season. I’m delighted that I managed to finish second on the rankings and win the Emerging Player race as well. The rookies were very strong this year and coming out on top among the rookies is special. My putting was the highlight of the season. I really started putting well midway through the year when I started using a new putter.”

Angad Cheema of Panchkula ended up in second position in the Emerging Player of the Year race with earnings of Rs. 26,50,448.