New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS): The top Indian professional golfers including Olympian Udayan Mane, Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi and defending champion Honey Baisoya will vie for the top honours in the second edition of the J&K Open starting from September 7 at the Jammu Tawi Golf Course in Jammu.

The tournament, which brings professional golf to Jammu for the first time, will carry a prize purse of Rs. 40 lakh. The Pro-Am event will be held on September 11. The foreign challenge will be led by Sri Lankans Mithun Perera and N Thangaraja and Bangladesh's Jamal Hossain.

The local challenge will be led by J&K-based players including professionals Pawan Parihar, Fayaz Ahmed Langoo, Raghav Wahi, Pawan Parihar, Mohd Din Pode as well as amateurs Prabhnoor Singh, Vedant Handa and Zubair Hasan Zargar.

Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt. Governor Jammu & Kashmir, said, "This will be the first time that professional golf will come to the city of Jammu and I'm confident that the professionals will relish the experience of playing at the magnificent Jammu Tawi Golf Course. The tournament will also go a long way in inspiring many youngsters from the region to follow and take up the sport of golf."

Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), said, "The second edition of the J&K Open presented by J&K Tourism helps the PGTI expand its geographical footprint as we make our debut in the Jammu region of J&K. A fascinating week of golf is in the offing as the professionals can expect a whole new set of challenges at a new venue, the Jammu Tawi Golf Course."

Jammu Tawi Golf Course is an 18-hole course, designed by internationally-renowned designer Col. K.D Bagga. The course was commissioned on April 24, 2011.

The Government of Jammu & Kashmir undertook the construction of this prestigious project of Jammu Tawi Golf Course to give a boost to Golf Tourism in the region and groom young boys and girls to become golf professionals.