PGTI lands Tata Steel as umbrella sponsor for three years

By Rahul Banerji

In a massive boost for golf in the country, one of India’s oldest and most respected corporate giants, Tata Steel, was named on Wednesday as umbrella sponsor of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) for a period of three years.

Coming as it does in a year official world ranking points have also become available at all PGTI tournaments, it will be a double delight for professionals on the circuit, giving it an even higher profile. This is only fitting given the sort of success home-grown golfers have secured of late around the world.

Huge moment

Announcing Tata Steel’s three-year association with the PGTI, company vice-president Sanjiv Paul said, “For more than a decade and a half, Tata Steel has hosted a tournament for Indian pros at the Golmuri Golf Course in Jamshedpur.

‘Long commitment’

“Tata Steel has a long and enduring commitment to Indian sport. From football to archery, from athletics to boxing, from hockey to chess, we have been in the forefront of nurturing and supporting sporting talent,” he said.

“The association with the professionally-run PGTI is a natural outcome of our shared goal of promoting competition at the highest level among Indian players.”

For PGTI chief executive Uttam Singh Mundy, this is a big step up. “We are delighted to welcome Tata Steel, one of Indian sports earliest and biggest benefactors, as our umbrella sponsor. Both the main and feeder tours will benefit from PGTI’s association with Tata Steel,” a clearly-pleased Mundy said.

Spreading the cheer

The 2019 PGTI calendar will include between 18 and 20 tournaments across the country. In just over 12 years of its existence, more than 325 players have won prize money, with 38 of them earning in excess of Rs 1 crore each.

As many as 52 players have won at least one of the 220 tournaments held so far under the PGTI banner, Mhow’s Mukesh Kumar topping the chart with 19 victories.

Tata Steel’s century-old association with sports dates back to Sir Dorabji Tata financing four athletes and two wrestlers for the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. Tata Steel has created infrastructure for every sports discipline, including a nine-hole and an 18-hole golf course which have played host to a number of tournaments.

PGTI’s alignment with the OWGR system has also opened the doors for more Indian players to make an impact on the world stage. The introduction of world ranking points will also help in improving the fields at PGTI events as Indian players who are Asian Tour regulars will have that extra incentive and motivation of playing on their home tour.

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