Delhi, 29-11-2016
CHIRAGH & CHIKKA TAKE AIM AT THE PANASONIC OPEN INDIA TITLE
An international cast of players from over 20 countries will feature in the US$400,000 Panasonic Open India which gets underway at the highly-acclaimed Delhi Golf Club on Thursday.
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The elite 120-man field, made up of players from the Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India, will be ready to thrill the local galleries when the Asian Tour event returns for its sixth edition from December 1 to 4.
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Defending champion Chiragh Kumar of India will headline the event alongside homegrown rising star Chikkarangappa S who made his debut at the World Cup of Golf last week.
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The other top stars from India include the seasoned Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal, Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur as well as youngsters such as Rashid Khan, Himmat Rai & Shubhankar Sharma.
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Manish Sharma – President & CEO, Panasonic India & South Asia said: “We are immensely proud to be supporting the Panasonic Open India, which has been a great platform for propelling the region's top stars onto the world stage since it was launched in 2011.
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“Indian stars Anirban Lahiri and S.S.P. Chawrasia are good examples of players who have advanced their careers onto the international level after winning the Panasonic Open India. It is our goal and mission to grow the game of golf in India as well as across the region. We hope to see the emergence of another worthy champion at the Panasonic Open India this week.â€Â
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Chikkarangappa, a two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), will take advantage of his recent run of good form to mount another title challenge for his breakthrough on the region's premier Tour.
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“I think a win is around the corner for me. I just have to stay patient. I think my game has gotten better over the last few events so I just need to focus on what I need to do and things should fall in place,†said the 23-year-old Indian, who has notched four top-10s to sit in 27th place on the current money list.
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Kumar, who is relishing the chance to defend his title for the first time in his career, said: “I have been looking forward to this week. The game is feeling good right now and I am feeling confident coming back here. Hopefully I will be spurred on by the happy memories last year for a successful title defence this week.â€Â
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The father of one had earlier eased the pressure of retaining his Tour card for 2017 following a tied-fourth result in Manila, which propelled him to 40th place on the current Order of Merit.ÂÂ
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With the Panasonic Open India being the penultimate event of the 2016 season, players will have everything to play for as they vie to break into the top-60 on the final Order of Merit, which is the cut-off mark for players to retain their Tour cards for the 2017 season.
About PGTI:
Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognised official body of professional golf in India. PGTI's objective is to promote professional golf in the country, as well as to give players an opportunity to be involved in the decision making on all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Kapil Dev (President), PGTI's governing body comprises leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
For information on PGTI, please contact:
Nikhil Kalaan
Media Manager - PGTI
Mobile: 9910974846
Email: media@pgtofindia.com
