Belek, Turkey, 22-01-2024

Jyoti Randhawa wins Legends Tour Qualifying School

Jyoti Randhawa shot a closing 70, including birdies at the final two holes, to finish four shots clear at the top of the leaderboard on -12. The Indian started the final 18 holes with a two-shot lead and remained in control of the tournament in blustery conditions at the Gloria Golf Club in Turkey.

The former DP World Tour player and eight-time Asian Tour winner built a five-shot cushion by the turn, picking up shots at the 4th and 7th as the chasing pack battled against the pressure and wind. When he made another gain at the 10th it looked like he would coast to victory, but a double bogey at 13 and a bogey at 15 opened the door for Frenchman Lionel Alexandre, Englishman Simon Griffiths and Spaniard Carlos Balmaseda. That hope was quickly extinguished as Randhawa emphatically sealed the victory with his two closing birdies, leaving the others to focus on the tight battle for the other four cards.

“It feels really good,” said the winner. “I got a few starts last year but I thought if I come to Q School and get in the top five, I’ll get to play the whole year, and here I am. I’m happy that I won and now I can plan my season.

“There was a lot of pressure, especially when we started off. I thought it was going to be -9 for the top five, and then I thought I need to focus, play my game and do the best that I can in my ability. I did that, went five shots ahead, and then I just eased off a bit and made a double bogey out of nowhere. Then I was under some stress and made another bogey and I was like ‘woah, now I’ve got to play’. So then I focussed and I got two more birdies. At the end of the day, as long as I won, I was happy with that.”

Randhawa is setting himself some lofty goals ahead of his 2024 MCB Road to Mauritius campaign: “I’m pretty young for starting out (on the Legends Tour). If I can go in there and win a tournament then that makes everything a lot easier. My aim is to win one and take it from there.”

Alexandre, Balmaseda and Griffiths finished tied-2nd on -8, while England's Andrew Marshall claimed fifth place to secure the final card at -7.

The field was made up of 72 players, with 41 advancing from a 36-hole First Stage held on 15th and 16th January and 31 exempt into the Final Stage, which was played over four rounds from 19th to 22nd January. A cut was applied after 54 holes, so only players within eight shots of the final qualifying spot (5th) played in the final round. The top five after 72 holes secured their playing rights on the Legends Tour for this season.

Source: Legends Tour