By Rahul Banerji
A cool Rs 30 lakh awaits the winner of the second edition of the Kapil Dev-Grant Thornton Invitational Tournament that tees off at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon on Wednesday.
With double the prize money at Rs 2 crore available from the first edition last year, the event has drawn a field of 116 PGTI professionals, with the cut to be applied after 36 holes.
The remaining players will be joined by six lady professionals and invited amateurs in the team section of the event that will run parallel to the main tournament itself.
Leading the charge will be Order of Marit leader Om Prakash Chouhan along with second placed Sachin Baisoya, no. 3 Aman Raj and defending champion Varun Parikh.
Also in contention will be DP World Tour cardholder Manu Gandas, last year’s Tata Steel PGTI Rankings topper along with past champions Udayan Mane and Rashid Khan, and just-concluded National Games gold medallist Yashas Chandra.
Winners’ lineup
Also in the field are a good number of PGTI winners this year including Jairaj Sandhu, N. Thangaraja (Sri Lanka), Jamal Hossain (Bangladesh), Sunhit Bishnoi, Harshjeet Sethie, Gaurav Pratap Singh and others.
Speaking at the event launch, tournament host Kapil Dev said he was delighted at the enhanced prize fund, adding he was looking forward to the day it was increased further and the field included women professionals on a regular basis.
“My heartfelt thanks to Grant Thornton for sharing my vision of growing golf in India, and to DLF for hosting this spectacular event,” Kapil said.
“As we embark on the second edition, anticipation is high, and excitement is double! Looking forward to making this edition another milestone in the exciting journey of growing professional golf in our country.”
The tournament was formally inaugurated by DLF chairman emeritus K.P. Singh and the 1983 World Cup-winning captain.
Added Grant Thornton Bharat chief executive Vishesh C. Chandiok, “Our vision is to build an inclusive ecosystem of the communities that shape a better India across government, business, finance, and of course, sports.
Premier event
“The second Kapil Dev – Grant Thornton Invitational is a premier and unique event that furthers this vision like no other.”
The four-round event will see the introduction of a 36-hole Pro-Am Team Championship.
After the completed second round, professionals who make the cut and top Indian women pros will compete as pairs in the team championship alongside the professional championship.
The final day will also see top Indian and international cricketers join the team championship to help add another dynamic to the overall tournament.
Also read: Chouhan keeps his cool for year’s third win at Servo Masters
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