PGTI Tour: American Jhared Hack tops Pre-Qualifying III with three-shot margin, 26 players qualify for Final Stage
Ahmedabad, Jan 24
American Jhared Hack posted a four-under 68 in the second round that helped him take the top honours with a comfortable three-shot margin at the Pre-Qualifying III leg of the PGTI Qualifying School 2026 played at the Kensville Golf & Country Club in Ahmedabad on Saturday.
The 36-year-old Hack (70-68), a resident of Las Vegas who is making his first trip to India, followed up his solid 70 in the first round with an error-free 68 on Day Two to move up two spots to first position at a total of six-under 138. From a total field of 132 in Pre-Qualifying III, the top 26 players qualified for the Final Qualifying Stage as the cut was declared at five-over 149.
Jhared Hack, who has previously played on the Korn Ferry Tour, Canadian Tour, and the PGA Tour Latinoamerica, made a solitary birdie on the front nine on Saturday. Hack then enjoyed a late surge with three birdies on the last four holes, which included a 40-foot conversion on the closing 18th.
Hack said, "Coming a long way from the United States, I managed to acclimatise well before the start of the Pre-Q event as I got in some valuable practice at another golf course in Ahmedabad. I was fortunate to be hosted by local Ahmedabad-based professional Jay Pandya at his house.
"So, I was quite relaxed at the start of the event, and that was evident with my terrific first nine on day one. However, I was in a spot of bother after hitting it out of bounds on a couple of occasions on my second nine. But I managed a couple of birdies too on that stretch to keep myself in contention for my card. I was a little nervous to begin with in round two. But I chipped and putted well today to finally come through."
The leaderboard had a strong international presence in Pre-Qualifying III as Japan's Taiga Tanaka (71-70) finished second at three-under 141, while Canada's Sukhraj Singh Gill took third place at two-under 142, and Malaysia's Muhammad Nafis Najmie Bin Darnalis ended fourth at one-under 143.
Amateur Samarpratap Singh Sandhu finished as the best Indian. He was fifth at even-par 144.
A total of 91 players qualified for the Final Stage from the three Pre-Qualifying events. The 91 qualifiers will be joined by 42 players in the Final Stage, making it a total field of 133 in the last stage of qualifying. The Final Stage will be played from January 27 to 30 at the Kensville Golf & Country Club in Ahmedabad.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Congratulations to Samarpratap Singh Sandhu for being the top Indian amateur! It's a tough field with so many international pros. Hope he makes the cut in the Final Stage and gets his card. We need more Indian golfers at the top.
Interesting to see a Canadian player with the name Sukhraj Singh Gill. Must be of Indian origin. Good to see the global diaspora connecting through sport. Hack's 40-foot putt on the 18th sounds clutch!
The PGTI Qualifying School is getting more competitive every year. 132 players for 26 spots is tough! Ahmedabad's Kensville course is a great test. Hope the final stage gets good coverage. Golf needs more visibility in India.
Respect to Jhared Hack for adapting so quickly. Coming from Vegas to Ahmedabad is a big change, not just in weather but everything. His comment about being "relaxed" shows a good mindset. That's the key in golf.
While it's great to host international talent, I do hope the PGTI ecosystem is doing enough to nurture our own. Only one Indian in the top 5 here. We need stronger development programs at the grassroots level to compete consistently.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.