By Rahul Banerji
The fifth edition of the Golconda Masters Golf Championship powered by Telangana Tourism will be played at the 6,200-yard par-71 Hyderabad Golf Club from Wednesday, carrying a prize purse of Rs. 40 lakh .
The event launches the 2019 season of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). The pro-am will be held on Sunday, February 10.
The tournament which has a field of 124 is supported by Incredible India andpresented by theHyderabad Golf Association along with the PGTI. Besides India’s leading professionals, the field will also feature professionals from countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Australia.
The 2019 edition of the Golconda Masters also marks the beginning of a new era in Indian golf as the PGTI aligns itself with the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system for the first time. The Golconda Masters will offer world ranking points along with all other PGTI events on the following basis, winner 5 points, runner-up 3 points, third place 2 points, fourth place – 1.6 points and fifth place – 1.2 points.
Field of winners
The event has drawn a quality field that has Asian Tour regulars Khalin Joshi (2018 PGTI Order of Merit champion), Ajeetesh Sandhu (2016 and 2017 Golconda Masters champion), S. Chikkarangappa, Aman Raj, Chiragh Kumar, Abhijit Singh Chadha as well as leading players like Rashid Khan, defending champion Udayan Mane and Harendra Gupta (2015 Golconda Masters winner), among others.
The overseas challenge will have Sri Lanka’s Anura Rohana, N. Thangaraja, Mithun Perera and K. Prabagaran as well as Australian Kunal Bhasin and Bangladesh’s Md Zamal Hossain Mollah.
Said J, Vikramdev Rao, HCA president,“We are happy to be associated with the fifth edition of the Golconda Masters as it gives our golfers the opportunity to watch top players from India and abroad. It is also great learning experience for our young golfers.”
Added HCA captain C. Dayakar Reddy,“We are delighted to host the Golconda Masters for the fifth time. The golf course is in a very good condition and the pros will enjoy playing on it. We are looking forward to seeing the veterans and several youngsters make their mark.”
Tvesa takes three-shot lead
In Ahmedabad,Tvesa Malik moved into the lead at the end of the first day of the Rs 8 lakh third leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at the par-72 Kensville Golf & Country Club on Wednesday, hitting three birdies and three bogeys for a level par 72 card.
Tvesa held a comfortable three-shot cushion over Gaurika Bishnoi, who carded 75 after two bogeys in the last three holes.
Pune leg runner-up Amandeep Drall shot 77 with one birdie against six bogeys, four of them on the back nine. She shared third place with Siddhi Kapoor.
Things did not pan out well for Gursimar Badwal, who won the second leg in Pune, as she shot six-over 78, the same as the winner of the first leg, Neha Tripathi. They were both tied fifth alongside Smriti Mehra, Afshan Fatima and Jyotsana Singh.
Tough day out
On a course that players found tough to go low, Tvesa, winner of the Hero Order of Merit last season, played smart golf with four pars before she got her first birdie on the fifth hole, only to give back the gains on the eighth.
On the back nine, she bogeyed 13th, but restored parity on the 14th. She moved into red figures on the 17th, but again surrendered the advantage on the last hole.
Gaurika had her only birdie on the second, but dropped shots on the fourth, seventh, 16th and 18th holes.
Siddhi Kapoor looked set for an par round through 15 holes, but two bogeys and a triple saw her drop away.
Lavanya Tatiwala (88) and Hita Prakash (93) missed the cut.
Also read: The Rose and The Prof win, on either side of the Pond
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