All-India Amateur Golf Tournament

LOOK OUT FOR

There's a lot to watch out for this month for golfers. For one thing, there's the All-India Amateur Tournament coming up from 26 Feb until 5 March, this year as the concluding event of the Royal Challenge India Golf Tour.

For those not in the loop, this tournament, starting in 1892, is the second-oldest (after the British Open) in the world, and attracts not only the best amateurs from all over India but from abroad as well "" this year there are participants from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and China.

This year, with over a hundred people taking part, it's being held at the Delhi Golf Club "" so now that it's getting warmer, why not go and check it out, and since registration hasn't closed yet (remember though that the handicap cut-off is 5), you can even try your hand!

Hero Honda Open West

Also for golfing aficionados, there is the Hero Honda Open West, held at the Poona Golf Club. This is a professional event, with the winner taking home Rs 1.62 lakh, and the runner-up Rs 1.12 lakh. This tournament marks the beginning of the Amby Valley PGAI Tour, and starts this Tuesday.

The Poona Golf Club has been completely refurbished for this occasion, with a new putting green, thus making it one of the best places to golf in the country.

Some of the players who will be taking part include Mhow's Mukesh Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Shiv Kapur from Delhi, and Vijay Kumar from Lucknow, who is also the defending champion.

The total prize purse for this single tournament is a whopping Rs 10 lakh, signalling a good year ahead for professional golfers!