The inaugural Coal India Open, jointly staged by Coal India Limited and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), teed off at the Kensville Golf and Country Club in Ahmedabad Tuesday, 5 August, and will run through to 8 August.
The tournament carries a total prize purse of Rs 1 crore. The main event was preceded by a pro-am competition held on Sunday.
Coal India Limited, one of India’s leading public sector enterprises, has come on board as event title sponsor of a PGTI event for the first time.
The tournament features a field of 126 players, including 123 professionals and 3 amateurs.
A strong line-up of Indian professionals are in action, including Yuvraj Sandhu, Om Prakash Chouhan, Manu Gandas, and Udayan Mane, among others. The international field includes leading professionals such as N Thangaraja and K Prabagaran (Sri Lanka), Jamal Hossain and Badal Hossain (Bangladesh), Sukra Bahadur Rai and Subash Tamang (Nepal), as well as Federico Zucchetti (Italy), Koichiro Sato (USA), and Joshua Seale (Uganda).
PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl said: “We are delighted to welcome Coal India Limited as the title sponsor for the Coal India Open, the tournament that flags off the transformative second half of the season at the magnificent Kensville Golf and Country Club in Ahmedabad. This partnership significantly strengthens PGTI’s mission of providing maximum playing opportunities for Indian professionals. Coal India’s commitment enables us to elevate the tournament’s scale and quality and reinforces the confidence that India’s leading institutions place in our vision for the sport.”
Coal India Limited chairman and managing director PM Prasad said, “We at Coal India Limited are excited to partner with the PGTI in staging the inaugural Coal India Open. This partnership is testament to our commitment to the growth of golf in India and also provides a platform to promote our core values of excellence, integrity and community engagement. We look forward to working with the PGTI in creating a successful and memorable event.”
