New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS): Top stars of the tour including SSP Chawrasia, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Rahil Gangjee, Gaurav Ghei, Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi, Chikkarangappa S, Yuvraj Sandhu along with Olympian Udayan Mane and several foreign golfers will be in the fray for the title in the inaugural Vishwa Samudra Open to be played at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) from December 10 -13.
The Vishwa Samudra Group, and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India, on Monday jointly announced the launch of the Vishwa Samudra Open presented by Kapil Dev, which carries a prize purse of Rs 2 crore..
The stellar field at the tournament will also feature leading Indian names such as Om Prakash Chouhan, Olympian Udayan Mane, 2024 PGTI Ranking leader Veer Ahlawat, Karandeep Kochhar and Manu Gandas, to name a few.
The foreign challenge will be led by Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek, Bangladeshis Jamal Hossain, Badal Hossain, Md Akbar Hossain, Md Jakiruzzaman Jakir, Sri Lankans N. Thangaraja, K Prabagaran, Andorra’s Kevin Esteve Rigaill, Nepal’s Subash Tamang, Canada’s Sukhraj Singh Gill, Japan’s Makoto Iwasaki and Americans Dominic Piccirillo and Digraj Singh Gill.
Besides Gaurav Ghei, the host venue Delhi Golf Club will also be represented by professionals Sachin Baisoya, Harshjeet Singh Sethie, Manav Jaini, Arjun Singh, Naman Dawar, Karan Vasudeva, Saarthak Chhibber, Harsh Gangwar, Pawan Kumar and Rohit Baisoya.
Kapil Dev, President, PGTI & Tournament Host, said, “This joint initiative of the Vishwa Samudra Group and the PGTI will go a long way in further strengthening the tour by creating more playing opportunities for the professionals and making a significant addition to the annual prize money on offer on the PGTI.
"With a top-class field contending for the title, we can look forward to a fascinating week of golfing action. I’m excited to host all the players during the week and wish them all the best. I look forward to seeing the spectators come out in large numbers, watch India’s best professionals in action and enjoy themselves,” he added.
Anil Yendluri, Managing Director, Vishwa Samudra Engineering, said, “Our group has supported talented golfers in the past and this is the first time that we are associating with the PGTI. We hope this is the start of a very mutually beneficial association which grows in the years to come.”
Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, “The event gains further significance as it will be the last full-field event of the season thus providing the professionals a great opportunity to make an impact in the PGTI Ranking. With a star-studded field vying for top honours in the pristine conditions at the Delhi Golf Club, a thrilling week of golfing action is in the offing.”