Coimbatore, Aug 16 (IANS): The TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship 2022 return to the city after a gap of eight years with the likes of Khalin Joshi, Manu Gandas, Jamal Hossain, Mithun Perera, Shamim Khan and defending champion K Prabagaran leading the list of entries for the event, which commences at the Coimbatore Golf Club on August 17.

The Rs. 50 lakh prize-money tournament will also kick-start the second half of the 2022 TATA Steel PGTI season.

The field of 126 players includes 123 professionals and three amateurs in the highest-ever prize money event to be staged in Coimbatore. The leading Indian professionals in the fray are Khalin Joshi, Manu Gandas, Shamim Khan and Abhijit Singh Chadha while the prominent foreign players include Sri Lankans K Prabagaran (defending champion) and Mithun Perera as well as Bangladesh's Jamal Hossain.

The local challenge will be led by Coimbatore-based professional Sidhartha Sharathram and amateurs Shiv Karan, Bharat Ram S and Nitin Suresh.

Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, Professional Golf Tour of India's (PGTI), said, "We thank Coimbatore Golf Club and KGiSL for partnering with us for the PGTI Players Championship and facilitating the return of professional golf to Coimbatore after eight years. The resumption of the tour after the mid-season break adds to the excitement of the event and we look forward to intense competition for top spots on the Order of Merit from here till the end of the season."

The Coimbatore Golf Club is a par-72, 6540 yard course. The Palghat Hills, part of the Western Ghats, form a scenic backdrop to the course. The playing experience is heavily influenced by the seasons. Strong Westerly winds during May to September make the course the most challenging. The winds ensure that the golfers have a tough battle on their hands. For an errant golfer, the course can be extremely unforgiving.