Kapil Dev headlines AVT Champions first leg at Classic course

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Rishi Narain, overall winner of the inaugural AVT Champions event.

By Rahul Banerji

Former Asian Games gold medallist Rishi Narain battled to a narrow win in the two-day AVT Champions Tour 2019 over 1983 World Cup-winning Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev at the Classic Golf & Country Club in Gurgaon on Monday.

Both golfers ended on identical two-day gross scores in the inaugural edition of the seniors’ event on the 6700-yard par-72 Jack Nicklaus-designed course with Narain declared winner on the basis of a better second round score.

Kapil Dev, with rounds of 74 and 72 and current national champion Rishi Narain (overall gross over 36 holes) with scores of 76 and 70 were tied on aggregates of 146 with the latter winning on his 2-under second day card.

Senior special

The AVT Champions Tour is for senior golfers and is only the second national senior (50 years and above) golf tournament in the country.

Former India captain and 1983 World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev, who topped his age group event and almost won the overall title as well.

Kapil Dev, double Asian Games gold medallist Lakshman Singh,  Narain and Arujna awardee Amit Luthra, along with other members of the 1982 Asiad gold medal winning team competed against 100-odd entries from nine cities.

All six members of the Indian national senior team were also seen in action in the tournament, played across four age categories – 50 to 54 years; 55 to 59 years; 60 to 64 years and 65 years and above.

DLF win team title

In the four-man club team, Team DLF Golf Club walked away the winners. The team comprised of Rishi Narain, Kulvinder Singh, Padamjeet Sandhu and Arun Khanna.

The inaugural year of the annual AVT Champions Tour Golf would be played across four locations in India. The Classic course hosted the first leg, followed by the second leg at the Eagleton Golf Course in Bangalore on June 3 and 4.

The third and fourth legs will be played either at Hyderabad, Ahmedabad or Srinagar, and are yet to be finalised.

The AVT tournaments will be played to supplement the national championship to provide match practice to the India team for forthcoming international events like the Asia-Pacific and others. It is also being looked as a step towards building a tour for senior golfers in the country.

Gross Winners in individual age categories:

65 years & above: Gangesh Khaitan, gross score of 161 over 36 holes

60 to 64 years: Kapil Dev, gross score of 146 over 36 holes

55 to 59 years: Rishi Narain, gross score of 146 over 36 holes

50 to 54 years: Gaurav Ghosh, gross score of 150 over 36 holes

While on the theme of cricket, the ICCl’s global partner Emirates unveiled the World Cup 2019 livery on its super-jumbo Airbus A 380 in Dubai on Tueasday Former India cricketer and ICC World Cup 2011 winner, Virender Sehwag helped marshal the aircraft out of the Emirates Engineering hangar. The Emirates Engineering staff who had worked on installing the decal, were later treated to a game of mini-cricket by the aircraft. Image courtesy ICC.

Also read: Indian Golf and Turf Expo targets revenue jump over next five years

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