Chittagong, Bangladesh, 20-03-2018

City Bank American Express Chittagong Open returns for its second edition

• Tournament begins on March 21

• Prize purse of INR 40 lakh (BDT 50 lakh)

• Field to feature Shamim Khan, Md Zamal Hossain Mollah, Shankar Das, Anura Rohana, Mithun Perera, Honey Baisoya, Syed Saqib Ahmed 


The second edition of the City Bank American Express Chittagong Open golf tournament will be held at the pristine Bhatiary Golf & Country Club (BGCC) in Chittagong from March 21 – 24, 2018 and will carry a prize purse of INR 40 lakh (BDT 50 lakh). 

The tournament is co-sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and the Bangladesh Professional Golfers Association (BPGA) and approved by Bangladesh Golf Federation (BGF).

This is a 72-hole stroke-play tournament featuring a field of 115 players including 58 professionals and six amateurs from the BPGA and 51 professionals from the PGTI. The cut will be applied after the first 36 holes. The top 50 players and ties will make the halfway cut and continue to play for another 36 holes.
 
The tournament, PGTI's second in Bangladesh this year, is set to feature some of the top names of the South Asian region. The Bangladeshi trio of Md Zamal Hossain Mollah (two-time winner on the PGTI), Md Shakhawat Hossain Sohel and Md Dulal Hossain will lead the charge for the host nation.

The Indian challenge will be led by the likes of Shamim Khan (2017 PGTI Order of Merit champion), Shankar Das, Honey Baisoya and Syed Saqib Ahmed, while Sri Lanka will also be well-represented by Anura Rohana, Mithun Perera and N Thangaraja. South African Damian Naicker is also a prominent foreign name in the field.

Maj. Imdad, Chairman, Media Committee, Bhatiary Golf & Country Club (BGCC), said, “We are very happy to host the second edition of the City Bank American Express Chittagong Open. This tournament gives us an opportunity to brand Chittagong in a very positive way and promote eco-tourism.”

Brig. Gen. Quamrul, Secretary General, BPGA, said, “We are very happy to co-sanction the 2nd City Bank American Express Chittagong Open. In the field of 116, the BPGA has 58 professionals in the field. We are confident that our players will perform extremely well this week as two BPGA events have been staged at BGCC recently. We are also confident that more than 50 per cent of our players will make the cut. With Md Siddikur Rahman not playing it opens up avenues for other Bangladeshi golfers to make a mark at the Chittagong Open.”
  
Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, “We thank the BPGA and City Bank American Express for partnering with us in staging the second edition of the City Bank American Express Chittagong Open. The tournament seeks to build on the existing golfing ties between India and Bangladesh and is a result of the joint vision of the PGTI and the BPGA to further raise the standard of professional golf in the South Asian region. The Chittagong Open will be PGTI's second event in Bangladesh this season which is a reflection of the country's emergence as a golfing hub. PGTI members look forward to returning to the immaculate Bhatiary Golf & Country Club for the second year running.”

Mr. Rizwan Farouq, Chairman, Riz Events, said, “After the successful inaugural edition of the City Bank American Express Chittagong Open last year we are happy to be back with the second edition of the tournament. I would like to thank the title sponsor City Bank American Express and co-sponsors KY Steel, BSRM, and our partners Regent Airways, Ispahani and Avenue, Pran for their continued support to the tournament. I would like to thank BGCC for entrusting us to do the event this year as well and would also like to thank the two co-sanctioning bodies PGTI and BPGA. We hope it is a very successful tournament and may the best man win the 2nd City Bank American Express Chittagong Open.”

Syed Saqib Ahmed, one of India's leading players in the field, said, “I really enjoyed playing at the challenging Bhatiary Golf & Country Club last year and am delighted to be back for the second edition of the City Bank American Express Chittagong Open. I thank the sponsors, BGCC and PGTI, for bringing back the event on the PGTI calendar. I've had a great start to the 2018 season and am hopeful of continuing my good form by achieving a top finish in Chittagong this week.”

Md Zamal Hossain Mollah, Bangladesh's leading golfer in the field, said, “I would like to thank the BPGA and the PGTI for bringing the tournament back to Chittagong. I would also like to thank the title sponsor City Bank American Express and other sponsors. I'm really looking forward to performing well in front of my home crowd.” 
 
 


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

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