Louis Philippe Cup, a city-based league, will whet the appetite of sports lovers when top golfers, including Rio-bound SSP Chawrasia, showcase their prowess at the Karnataka Golf association starting Wednesday.
Country's top players and celebrities from different walks of life will be lining up for a glittering tee off here tomorrow to mark the beginning of the fifth edition of the Pro Golf League.
While the serious golf will only get under way on Wednesday, the Karnataka Golf Association will be be buzzing with excitement as cricketers, including Kapil Dev, Syed Kirmani, Ajit Agarkar and Sujit Somasundar, former hockey player Ashish Ballal and former star athlete Ashwini Nachappa will be seen matching drives with pro golfers.
From the film industry, actor R Madhavan and acclaimed producer and director Mani Ratnam will be upping the glamour quotient in the pro-am event.
Besides Chawrasia, other top golfers include Rahil Gangjee, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Abhinav Lohan, Chikkarangappa S, Udayan Mane and Chirag Kumar. The lineup includes one sponsor pick and the top 16 players in the previous year's Order of Merit.
Three-time champions Navratna Ahmedabad will make a determined bid to retain their title and they are likely to face a tough challenge from Dev Chandigarh, debutants NSports Hyderabad, Laqshya Mumbai, Take Chennai, Zion Hills Bengaluru, DLF Crest Gurgaon and Jaypee Greens Greater Noida.
They will all be aiming to grab the largest share of the Rs 1.2 crore prize money on offer. The unique thing about this tournament is that all eight teams will receive a portion of the prize money.
Gangjee, who has recently shifted to Bengaluru and will be playing for the host team, said: "Ours is one of the strongest teams and it is great to play at the KGA. It is going to be a mix of the short game and long hitting."
Chikkarangappa, with Take Chennai, said of his team's chances: "We played well last year, sinking 25-footers. We have retained last year's team and are looking good for a shot at the title."
The tournament will consist of four rounds and will be in the strokeplay format, the same as in the Olympic Games. The best two scores out of the three players will be counted as the team score.
