Rising star Rashid Khan and Chirag Kumar will lead India's challenge in the USD 300,000 Panasonic Open golf tournament to be held at the historic Delhi Golf Club (DGC), here from November 6-9.
Apart from Rashid and Chirag, the 131-strong field will also have defending champion Wade Ormsby of Australia, two-time Asia Tour number one Thaworn Wairatchant of Thailand and Bangladesh's Siddikur Rahman and home stalwarts like 2002 Order of Merit champion Jyoti Randhawa and two-time Asian Tour winner SSP Chowrasia among others.
Especially for Rashid, the tournament holds great significance as the local lad will be eyeing his second Asian Tour title seven months after claiming his first at the same course here, which is incidentally his home course too.
Rashid came close to winning on the Asian Tour on numerous occasions before finally sealing the deal with a play-off win over Siddikur at the DGC in March.
The 23-year-old Rashid is now aiming to follow the footsteps of compatriots Anirban Lahiri and Digvijay Singh by winning the Panasonic Open, which is sanctioned by Asian Tour and PGTI.
"The win was a life changer. I'm getting into all the tournaments on the Asian Tour and competing with all the golfers and gaining experience. Good to play on different courses where I have never been to. I'm getting a chance to get exposed to many different types of courses," Rashid said during the unveiling of the trophy at a city hotel here.
Talking about next week's tournament, Rashid said he will be at home at the DGC.
"DGC is like second home for me. I think the biggest advantage is that it's on my home course," he said.
Chirag, meanwhile, is searching for his first Asian Tour title and hopes to put up an impressive performance in the event to boost his rankings in the Order of Merit, where he is currently placed 68th.
"I've played many times at the DGC and enjoyed many good results. The Panasonic Open is a great platform for the young and upcoming Indian golfers to sharpen their game and gain valuable experience," the 30-year-old Chirag said.
Also present on the occasion were Panasonic India and South Asia Managing Director Manish Sharma, PGTI Director Padamjit Sandhu and Commercial Director of Asian Tour Shahid Sen.
