War of the woods

Professional golfers break to form an association.

After cricket, the politics of Associations seems to have crept into golf as well. Just when we all thought that golfers were one big family and doing well in terms of making a mark for themselves (and our country), some of its prominent players have announced the formation of their own association, called Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

So far, all golfers found cover under one umbrella association "" Professional Golf Association of India (PGAI) and things seemed to be going well for them.

"But a need was felt to become more professional where golf was concerned. Hopefully, PGTI will be the organisation that will help players and boost sport in the country," says Ajai Gupta, board member, PGTI.

However, according to insiders, the story is a tad different. Prize money, they say, was a major bone of contention between the players and the PGAI. Agrees Gupta, "Unless and until the players are paid well enough, they cannot be encouraged to participate in tournaments".

He, however, insists that it was not all about prize money, but about other issues (such as players not getting due credit) as well.

As of now, PGTI is being touted as a body "for the players and by the players" and its board boasts of prominent names such as Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur, Rahil Gangjee, Digvijay Singh, Amritinder Singh.

Says Randhawa, "Players have improved and so have the facilities. A golf association is about the players and they should be its first priority."

Most golf associations around the globe are run by players, and have delivered good results. But will the concept work in India? Gupta is confident it will. "Indian professionals are confident of pulling in sponsors to back their initiative, as their aim has always been to improve the level of Indian golf," he says.

In golfing terms, the PGTI has made a hole-in-one start with the BILT Open as its first official tournament and boasting of a total purse of Rs 70 lakh "" the highest in the country so far.

Sponsors like Timex, Asahi, and Solaris have been taking keen interest in the sport and have even sponsored a few tournaments. Meanwhile, the PGAI too has revamped itself to stave off the challenge from PGTI.

It recently reconstituted its board and has other Indian golfers such as Mukesh Kumar and Feroze Ali on its board. Will this war between the two associations prove beneficial for the popularity of the sport? Or, will things change for the worse? That is what remains to be seen.