NEW DELHI: Legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, who led India to its first World Cup victory in 1983, is set to usher in a new era for Indian golf as he has been unanimously elected as the president of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).
Kapil, who became a board member in 2021 and has also served as a vice president of PGTI since the last three years, will be taking over from HR Srinivasan, whose tenure has come to an end.
A tangible manifestation of Kapil’s contribution to the Indian pro golf circuit is the Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational tournament, a Rs 2 crore (approximately $240,000) prize money golf event, which has been introduced onto the PGTI calendar.
“It is an honour to become the president of PGTI, an organisation with which I have now been associated for quite a few years. It is a player’s body, and I am great friends with all of them and with whom I often play. And now it is the sport where I spend most of my time. I have been a vice president and I am on the board, so it’s an honour to be chosen by the players to be the president. I promise to do my best, as I always have. What gives me even greater pleasure is that I will be able to spend more time with my golfing friends and play a little more,” Kapil said of his new position.
Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, added, “We are honoured to have Indian sports icon Mr Kapil Dev take over as president of PGTI. We are confident that the PGTI will scale greater heights under Mr Kapil Dev’s astute leadership as his name has been synonymous with excellence in sports. His valuable experience as a professional sportsman and an accomplished golfer will be an asset for the PGTI, paving the way for the further growth of Indian professional golf. We wish Mr Kapil Dev all the success.”
In his new role, Kapil aims to further the vision of transformation, recognizing and building the many positive initiatives already underway in the association in favour of the golfers.
