Chiba, April 1 (IANS) Gaganjeet Bhullar, the most successful Indian player on the Asian Tour with 11 titles, will lead a strong Indian challenge at the 2026 International Series in Japan. The event is scheduled from April 2 to 5 at the Caledonian Golf Club.

Bhullar, who has been dominant in India on the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) Tour, with three wins in 2025 and the opening leg of 2026, will be joined by Karandeep Kochhar, who won an Asian Development Tour event in Egypt, legends Jeev Milkha Singh, SSP Chawrasia, and Jyoti Randhawa.

Also in the fray is Shaurya Bhattacharya, who had a fine domestic season on the PGTI in India. Ajeetesh Sandhu is a second reserve.

No Indian has won on the International Series, and Bhullar, who turns 38 later this month, last won in Indonesia in late 2023.

Bhullar and Kochhar were not in the field for their home event, the Indian Open, last month. Neither were Jeev, three-time winner Randhawa, nor two-time winner Chawrasia. Sharuya did play but missed the cut.

Jeev Milkha Singh has a stellar record in Japan, where he played for many years on the Japan Tour and won four times. Currently, Jeev also plays on the Senior Tour in Japan, as well as the Legends Tour in Europe. In December, Jeev won the final leg of the IGPL in Colombo in a field where he was one of the senior-most players. He had commented, “It is always fun to compete against young stars, and it was awesome to win in IGPL Colombo.”

Canadian standout Richard T. Lee, Philippine star Miguel Tabuena, and Australasia Tour No. 1 Travis Smyth are set to tee it up in Japan.

Lee leads the charge fresh off a breakthrough performance at Aramco LIV Golf Singapore, where the Canadian narrowly missed out on victory in a playoff against two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. Despite the near miss, the result has only strengthened his confidence heading into Japan.

For Tabuena, Japan marks a return to the Series that helped redefine his career. The Filipino star secured his full-time LIV Golf status through consistent performances across the International Series in 2025, a breakthrough that continues to shape his outlook this season.

Even with a full LIV Golf League schedule, Tabuena leans on The International Series to stay sharp and keep his competitive rhythm throughout the season. The field also includes young stars Sampson Zheng and Taichi Kho, both of whom have deep connections to Japan.

–IANS

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