Mumbai, 17-02-2014
Strongest ever line up of golfers for Louis Philippe Cup 2014
The strongest ever line up of Indian and Asian golfers will feature in the 3rd edition of the Louis Philippe Cup, India’s Official Pro Golf league, which will be played at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club from February 18 to 24, 2014. The four-day tournament with a purse of Rs 1.2 crore, is sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), and conceived and promoted by RN Golf Management.
With three of the top five players on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Anirban Lahiri (3rd), Siddikur from Bangladesh (4th) and Gaganjeet Bhullar (5th) in the fray and golfers from other teams having won between them 39 international titles, competition for the top slots is going to be intense.
In a media interaction on the eve of the Pro-am event, which tees off the Louis Philippe Cup 2014, ace golfers, Lahiri, Siddikur, Mithun Perera, Himmat Rai, Manav Jani and Rahil Gangjee spoke about their expectations from this event and how difficult it would be to emerge among the winners from this tough field of golfers.
Bangalore pro golfer, Anirban Lahiri, representing Puravankara Bangalore is eagerly looking forward to play this event in Mumbai from tomorrow. “This is the first time the event is being held in Mumbai and it feels great to be playing here at the BPGC, which has a good appeal. It is a fantastic course and the entire field is also happy to be playing here,” said Lahiri, who is currently India’s highest ranked player in the world and No. 3 on the Asian Tour 2013 Rankings.
“This is one of the biggest events to play for. It offers a large cheque for the three-member team. All the three players will earn Rs 12 lakhs each, which is a lot to play for the team you represent. But more than that there is lot of pride to play for,” opined Lahiri.
Rishi Narain, Managing Director, RN Golf Management, agreed with Lahiri and pointed out that BPGC has spent a lot of money to improve the course. “There was a unanimous response from the golfers to hold the event in Mumbai. The BPGC has spent over Rs 20 crores to upgrade the course. The speed of the course is faster and of world class standard,” he informed media persons.
Narain also felt that by bringing the event to Mumbai it would give the fans of the city an opportunity to watch the best golfers in the country. “In India, team sports like cricket and football are avidly followed. But golf is completely an individual sport and holding the event here (Mumbai) is to connect between the fans and pro golfers. Indians have won a number of international titles and this will help raise the profiles of the golfers and make fans aware of their achievements,” he stated.
Himmat Rai, who was a member of the Delhi team which won last year and now representing the Krrish Colombo team, sounded optimistic of putting up a good performance. “The course is in fantastic shape. The greens and fairways are very demanding and it will be really important to shot a lot of low scores here. I am confident of doing well and so are my teammates,” he said.
However, he was not prepared to pick any team as the favourites. “All the teams are really well-matched. I won’t be surprised if any of the teams goes through to the semi-finals and then win the title,” he said.
The event has a unique format like most of the pro golf leagues in the world. The opening two days will be played over 36 holes in which all the 9 teams will compete. The four teams with the best team score over the 36 holes will progress to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals on the third day singles matches will be played between players of each team and one point will be awarded for a win and no points for a loss. The winners will proceed to the finals on the fourth day, while losing semi-finalists will compete for the third and fourth places.
The winners pocket Rs 36 lakhs, runners-up Rs 24 lakhs, third place team Rs 18 lakhs and fourth placed team Rs 12 lakhs. Teams ranked 5th to 8thafter the first two rounds will battle it out for minor placings and the ninth team will not compete in the final two days.
The nine city teams are - Navratna Ahmedabad, Puravankara Bangalore, TAKE Chennai, DLF Gurgaon, Jaypee Greens Greater Noida, AVT Kolkata, Dev-Ellora Laqshya Mumbai, Krrish Colombo and Shubhkamna Delhi.
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
