By Rahul Banerji
The Rs 70 lakh Tata Steel PGTI MP Cup, a new event on the domestic professional circuit, is set to tee off at the Delhi Golf Club on Tuesday.
The MP Cup will see a host of top Indian golfers in action including two-time Indian Open winner Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia and 2002 Asian Games gold medallist Shiv Kapur.
The 14th event on the Professional Golf Tour of India’s calendar is being supported by the Just In Time Sports Foundation and runs through till Friday, October 8.
The Pro-Am follows the next day. This is the first PGTI event on the DGC’s redone main course and will be the first full-field pro event there after a gap of seven years.
The tournament is a 72-hole stroke-play event with the cut being declared after 36 holes with the top 50 and ties on the leader-board making it to the money rounds.
OWGR points on offer
The MP Cup is part of the international golfing calendar with Official World Golf Ranking points allocated to the top five finishers.
Besides Olympians Udayan Mane and Chawrasia, other leading players in the field include Jyoti Randhawa and PGTI Order of Merit leader Karandeep Kochhar, among others.
The overseas challenge will be led by Sri Lankans Mithun Perera and N. Thangaraja who are re-joining the tour after the pandemic breaks, and Md Zamal Hossain Mollah and Badal Hossain of Bangladesh.
The tournament will be inaugurated on Tuesday by minister of state for external affairs and culture Meenakashi Lekhi, who will give away the prizes on Friday and Saturday.
“The promotion of golf, in turn, helps in supporting the livelihoods of many from the economically weaker sections such as caddies and maalis who take care of the greens and environment,” the minister said.
Added DGC captain Maj Gen Anil P. Dere (retd), “The new Gary Player-designed layout was successfully completed within nine months in 2019.
“This event gives leading Indian professionals an opportunity to test their skills at the DGC’s redesigned world-class championship course. We look forward to their feedback.”
A golf clinic will be held by PGTI for DGC members on Wednesday afternoon, conducted by S.S.P. Chawrasia, Shiv Kapur and Trishul Chinnappa.
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