File photo of defending champion Manu Gandas in action at Tollygunge Club. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
The 2025 Tata Steel PGTI season gets rolling with the Players Championship presented by Tollygunge Club in Kolkata from Tuesday with a Rs 1 crore prize fun on offer for the field of 124.
The historic Tollygunge course hosts the first of a set of 11 tournaments lasting till end end-April. The schedule includes two $300,000 events co-sanctioned with the Challenge Tour in Kolkata and Delhi, and the $2.25 million Hero Indian Open from March 27 to 30 in Gurgaon.
In all, there is Rs 10.5 crore on offer at the PGTI events plus the $3.1 million from the three co-sanctioned tournaments that includes the Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club.
The season-opening field will have 121 professionals and three amateurs and includes two-time Indian Open winner Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia, and the vastly-experienced Rahil Gangjee, both local favourites, the PGTI said.
Other top draws include defending champion Manu Gandas, Rashid Khan, Chikkarangappa S., Yuvraj Sandhu, Karandeep Kochhar, 2023 merit winner Om Prakash Chouhan and Udayan Mane.
The overseas contingent is dominated by Bangladesh golfers including Jamal Hossain, Badal Hossain, Md Jakiruzzaman Jakir, Md Somrat Sikdar, Md Muaj, Md Razu, Md Solayeman and Md Sajib Ali.
Besides them are N. Thangaraja and K. Prabagaran from Sri Lanka, Italians Michele Ortolani and Federico Zucchetti, Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek, Americans Koichiro Sato and Dominic Piccirillo and Nepal’s Subash Tamang.
The other Kolkata-based professionals in the field are Shankar Das, Mohammad Sanju, Divyanshu Bajaj, Indrajit Bhalotia, Feroz Ali Mollah and Karan Verma while all three amateurs – Varish Mohta, Suveer Kapoor and Anshul Mishra — are local players.
Said Tollygunge Club golf captain Harmander Bindra, “We are proud to once again host and be the presenting partners for the prestigious PGTI Players Championship 2025.
Ideal stage
“This event marks the season opener, and for the past four years, Tollygunge Club has proudly presented the Players Championship and provided a platform where seasoned professionals, aspiring talents, and promising rookies showcase their skills.
“Under the capable leadership of Kapil Dev, the PGTI will undoubtedly continue to play a significant part in the growth of golf in India while generating possibilities for both players and those working in the sport’s sector.
“We are providing the best playing conditions this year, with greens rolling true and fairways holding up well. At Tollygunge Club, we anticipate a week filled with fierce competition, amazing skill demonstrations, and wonderful fellowship.”
This season, the PGTI also begins a new partnership with sports development company Victorious Endeavours through its brand Victorious Choice.
Added PGTI chief executive Amandeep Johl, “We are excited to tee off the action-packed 2025 season with the Players Championship presented by Tollygunge Club.
“An impressive field vying for a big prize purse makes for a pulsating contest and shall set the tone for the rest of the season. We welcome the Qualifying School graduates on the tour who have earned their cards after coming through the highly competitive tournament over the last few weeks.”
Also read: Shubham Narain seals Tata Steel PGTI Qualifying School top spot
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