Gurugram, Haryana, 17-12-2017
PGTI to become an ‘Open Tour' from the 2018 season
Schedule for first half of 2018 announced
• PGTI to become an ‘Open Tour’ from 2018 with no restriction on the number of foreigners on the tour
• PGTI set to host 8 events in first half of 2018 with prize money of approximately Rs. 2.8 crore
• 3 new events scheduled in the first half
• Season tees-off on 24th January with inaugural Dhaka Open, an international event tri-sanctioned by PGTI, ADT & BPGA
The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is set to become an ‘Open Tour’ from 2018 onward. This would mean there will be no restriction on the number of foreigners on the tour once they earn their cards through the PGTI Qualifying School.
The PGTI had a limit of a maximum of 15 foreign players in each tournament till date. As the PGTI now transforms into an ‘Open Tour’, there will be no such restriction any more.
With the PGTI becoming an ‘Open Tour’ from next season, the tour also hopes to soon align itself with the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) system thus attracting world ranking points for all its future events.
The PGTI has also announced its calendar for the first half of the 2018 season. As per the calendar, the PGTI is scheduled to host eight tournaments between the months of January and April. The front half of the year will feature three new events.
The total prize purse on offer in the first half is approximately Rs. 2.8 crore, an increase of Rs. 20 lakh compared to last season.
The 2018 season will tee-off on 24th January with the inaugural Dhaka Open at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The event worth approximately INR 40 lakh will be tri-sanctioned by the PGTI, Asian Development Tour (ADT) and the Bangladesh Professional Golfers Association (BPGA).
Besides the Dhaka Open, there would be two new additions to the schedule including an event in Delhi NCR.
The PGTI Cochin Masters presented by CIAL Golf Club (Rs. 40 lakh), Golconda Masters (Rs. 40 lakh) and Pune Open (Rs. 30 lakh) are the three established PGTI events that feature in the schedule for the first half.
The two events that return for their second editions are the Chennai Open (Rs. 30 lakh) and the Chittagong Open (Rs. 40 lakh).
The US$ 1.75 million Indian Open, co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour, will be the second international event in the first half of the season. The Indian Open, now a PGTI Order of Merit event, is slated to be held from March 8 – 11, 2018.
With PGTI hosting eight Order of Merit events in the first half and the Indian Open also becoming an Order of Merit event, there will be a total of nine PGTI Order of Merit events in the first half of the season.
The First Stage of the 2018 PGTI Qualifying School will begin from January 8, 2018. It will feature three events of 36-holes each (Pre Qualifying I, II & III). The Final Stage of the Qualifying School, a 72-hole event, will be staged from January 17 – 20, 2018. The Qualifying School will be held at the Kensville Golf & Country Club, Ahmedabad.
The 2018 PGTI Schedule can be found at:
http://pgtofindia.com/index.php?view=tournaments&seas_code=0C
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
