New Delhi, 31-01-2017
ALL TOP INDIANS, INCLUDING LAHIRI AND CHAWRASIA TO FEATURE IN INDIAN OPEN 2017
• Prize purse enhanced to US $ 1.75 million
• All top Indians expected for the 53rd edition
• Tournament, to be held from 9 March –12 March, moves to the Gary Player course at DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon
Defending champion SSP Chawrasia and Anirban Lahiri will return to the 2017 Hero Indian Open for yet another shot at glory, with the arch rivals having beaten each other once in the past two years, to win the most coveted trophy in Indian golf.
The Hero Indian Open 2017 - co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours for the third consecutive year – will be held from 9 March to 12 March 2017, and is expected to see the largest line-up of all top Indian golfers, including Chawrasia, Lahiri, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Arjun Atwal, Rashid Khan, Shiv Kapur and Rahil Gangjee
Fresh home-grown talent like S Chikkarangappa, Shubhankar Sharma and Khalin Joshi, who have all come close to winning their maiden international pro title, will also make a strong bid to find their breakthrough on home soil.
While the final list of players will be confirmed closer to the tournament, some leading players from the European and Asian Tours are also set to play in the Hero Indian Open this year.
The prize purse has been enhanced to US$ 1.75 million, which is almost six times more than US$ 300,000, which it was when Hero took on the Title Sponsorship of the Indian Open in 2005.
Fellow Olympians Chawrasia and Lahiri have had a long-running battle at the Hero Indian Open, where they have either won or finished second in each of the last three editions. The duo, which represented India at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro last year, has been at the forefront of Indian golf in last two years.
In 2016, Chawrasia pipped fellow Indian Lahiri and Korean Wang Jeunghun to win the coveted trophy, a year after Lahiri had edged Chawrasia out in the play-off in 2015.
Interestingly, at the 50th anniversary of the tournament in 2013, both Lahiri and Chawrasia were pushed to Tied-second by Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh.
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
