By Rahul Banerji
An elite field of 75 will contest the Rs 3 crore Tata Steel Tour Championship at the Beldih and Golmuri golf courses in Jamshedpur from Thursday.
The season-ending event will see no cut applied and the prize fund will be distributed to all those entered with the winner earning Rs 45 lakh and the runner-up Rs 30 lakh. The Pro-Am was played on Wednesday.
In all four rounds, half the field will play their first nine holes at Golmuri and second nine at Beldih while the other half will play their first nine at Beldih and second nine at Golmuri.
From round two onwards, the upper half of the leaderboard will play their first nine holes at Golmuri and second nine at Beldih. The prize presentation ceremony will be held at Beldih Golf Club on Sunday.
Top draws
The tournament features a glittering entry list including 2020 winner Gaganjeet Bhullar, S.S.P. Chawrasia, and 2022 Tata Steel PGTI Ranking champion Manu Gandas.
Also in the field, essentially the top 75 in the rankings list are defending champion Chikkarangappa S, 2023 ranking leader Om Prakash Chouhan, Karandeep Kochhar, Veer Ahlawat, and others.
The tournament will decide the 2023 Tata Steel PGTI Ranking champion, a race likely to be a closely contested one. The 2023 PGTI no. 1 will earn a full card on the DP World Tour for the 2024 season.
D.B. Sundara Ramam of Tata Steel and Jamshedpur golf captain said, “Jamshedpur is excited about the upcoming Tata Steel Tour Championship.
“This year’s tournament is poised to be an exhilarating conclusion to the 2023 season, featuring renowned golfers vying for the prestigious title.”
Long relationship
PGTI chief executive Uttam Singh Mundy, added, “Tata Steel and PGTI have had a long-standing association and we thank them for being a pillar of support for PGTI since its inception.
“The Tour Championship promises a grand finale to the exciting 2023 season with India’s leading players being part of the star-studded field and the contest for the top spot enters its final phase with a spot on the DP World Tour up for grabs.”
The Beldih and Golmuri golf courses, are both lush green, beautiful and well-maintained, with the Dalma Hills in the background. While the Beldih course flaunts long fairways, Golmuri is a smaller, greener, boutique course leaving little room for error.
Also read: Aman Raj clinches Jaipur Open in final-hole thriller at Rambagh
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