Top domestic golfers including Shankar Das and S Chikkarangappa will look to sharpen their skills ahead of the Indian Open when they compete in the Rs 30 lakh Hemisphere PGTI Masters, the second event of the 2015 PGTI season, that tees off at the Noida Golf course here tomorrow.
"It is an important tournament for us as it is happening just ahead of the Indian Open. I had skipped playing at Panchkula as I was practising. So this will be a good preparation for the Indian Open and I am looking forward to the event," said Chikkarangappa, who earned his maiden Asian Tour Cards last month.
The field at The Hemisphere PGTI Masters, a joint venture between real estate giants Amrapali Group and O2 Group, and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), will feature top Indian professionals like Himmat Singh Rai, Shamim Khan, Om Prakash Chouhan, Chiragh Kumar, Mukesh Kumar, Angad Cheema, Abhijit Singh Chadha and Khalin Joshi, besides Shankar (reigning Rolex Rankings champion) and Chikkarangappa.
The local challenge will be led by professionals from the Noida Golf Course such as Amardip Sinh Malik, Rahul Bajaj, Gaurav Pratap Singh, Vikrant Chopra, Arjun Singh Chaudhri, Pradeep Kumar and Raju Singh, to name a few.
Talking about the golf course, Abhijit, who also earned an Asian Tour card after going through the qualifying school, said: "The greens are looking in amazing condition and I think one who putts well will have a good chance to win here."
The top foreign players in the field are Sri Lankans N Thangaraja and Anura Rohana, Nepal's Shiva Ram Shrestha and Bangladesh's Md Zamal Hossain Mollah.
"We are proud to be associated with Indian professional golf and PGTI through The Hemisphere PGTI Masters. Our first foray into golf is seeking to elevate interest levels for this sport in the country," said Anil Sharma, chairman, Amrapali Group.
Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said, "We thank Amrapali Hemisphere and Noida Golf Course for partnering with us in staging the inaugural edition of 'The Hemisphere PGTI Masters'. With new sponsors such as Amrapali Hemisphere coming on board, we look forward to another year of sustained growth. We wish the players all the best.
