HYDERABAD: The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India, announced Tuesday that the fifth edition of the Golconda Masters Golf Championship in the Telangana capital city will be the first instance of an Indian golf event aligning itself with the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system.
The break-up of OWGR points for all PGTI events from now will be as follows: Winner – 5 points, Runner-up – 3 points, Third Place – 2 points, Fourth Place – 1.6 points, Fifth Place – 1.2 points.
The Golconda Masters will be held from 6-9 February 2019 and is organised by the Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA) with Telangana Tourism being its presenting sponsor. It will carry a prize purse of Rs 4 million.
The tournament, which will witness participation by 124 golfers from countries such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Australia, has roped in the likes of Incredible India, energy drinks brand Nik Electro Plus and media company WION as partners.
The top Indian professionals in the fray include Asian Tour regulars Khalin Joshi (2018 PGTI Order of Merit champion), Ajeetesh Sandhu (2016 & 2017 Golconda Masters champion), Chikkarangappa, Aman Raj, Chiragh Kumar, Abhijit Singh Chadha as well as other leading players such as Rashid Khan, defending champion Udayan Mane and Harendra Gupta (2015 Golconda Masters champion), to name a few.
The foreign challenge will be led by the Sri Lankan quartet of Anura Rohana, N Thangaraja, Mithun Perera and K Prabagaran as well as Australian Kunal Bhasin and Bangladesh’s Md Zamal Hossain Mollah.
HGA President J Vikramdev Rao said: “The Hyderabad Golf Association is happy to be associated with the fifth edition of the Golconda Masters being conducted by The Professional Golf Tour of India and being held at the Hyderabad Golf Club course from the 6th to the 9th of February 2019. This event gives our golfers the opportunity to watch top players from India and abroad. It is also great learning experience for our young golfers. I wish all the participants the very best and good luck.”
PGTI CEO Uttam Singh Mundy added: “It is an exciting time for Indian golf as the PGTI joins the list of the elite golfing tours in the world that are a part of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system. The majestic Hyderabad Golf Club provides the ideal setting for the PGTI to turn a new leaf in its history. We thank the Hyderabad Golf Association and Telangana Tourism for their unflinching support in staging the Golconda Masters for the fifth year in succession. With the advent of world ranking points we expect more fierce competition on the tour than ever before. We wish the players all the best.”
The 212-acre Hyderabad Golf Club provides an 18-hole, 6200 yard, par-71 layout that also features a floodlit driving range, a pro shop, a golf fitting shop, and training & practice facilities. A modern clubhouse with dining hall, lounge, open deck, change rooms, and trained staff is also in place.
The mission of the project is to set up an international standard golf course, a golf training academy and to put Hyderabad on the international golfing map. The ‘Best Tourism Friendly Golf Course’ award bestowed on it by National Tourism, reiterates the pleasant experience that HGA provides.
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