Kolkata, 11-12-2017
McLeod Russel Tour Championship - Race to Royal Calcutta Golf Club 2017 to provide fascinating finale to highly competitive PGTI season
PGTI’s Year Ending Championship
Prize purse of Rs. 1.5 Cr
Only top 50 players on the PGTI Order of Merit to be eligible
Sponsor invites include Indian stars Jyoti Randhawa, SSP Chawrasia, Rashid Khan, Chiragh Kumar, Rahil Gangjee, Chikkarangappa and Shubhankar Sharma (newly-crowned Joburg Open champion) and foreign players Adam Blyth, Daniel Fox, Masahiro Kawamura, Shotaro Wada, Yuwa Kosaihira, Choo Tze Huang and Md Siddikur Rahman
McLeod Russel, the world’s largest tea producer, and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), today announced the McLeod Russel Tour Championship 2017, the PGTI’s year-ending Championship. The tournament will be staged at the prestigious Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) from December 21 – 24, 2017. The tournament carries an attractive prize purse of Rs. 1.5 crore, the highest for a domestic event in India.
The event will see the top 50 players from the PGTI Order of Merit 2017 compete for the biggest prize purse of the season. Besides the top names on the Order of Merit, the field will also feature sponsor invites which will include a host of top Indian stars such as Jyoti Randhawa, former champion SSP Chawrasia (2012 champion), Rashid Khan, Chiragh Kumar, Rahil Gangjee, Chikkarangappa (2015 champion) and Shubhankar Sharma (newly-crowned Joburg Open champion) along with foreign players such as Australian Adam Blyth (two-time winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia), Australian Daniel Fox (winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia), Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura (winner on the Asian Tour), Bangladesh’s Md Siddikur Rahman (two-time winner on the Asian Tour), Japanese golfers Shotaro Wada and Yuwa Kosaihira and Singapore’s Choo Tze-Huang.
The tournament will be a 72-hole stroke-play championship and there will be no cut applied after 36 holes. All players will be guaranteed prize money. The Pro-Am event preceding the tournament will be played on December 19th and 20th.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Aditya Khaitan, Managing Director, McLeod Russel, said, “We are very happy to be hosting the 6thedition of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship. The response from the Top Golfers and also everyone who came out and supported this event has been excellent. This year again we have a top 50 field from the PGTI order of merit, and we have international flavor as well. Last year’s edition was won by an International Player and this year too the field remains wide open and anyone can win. This will be a great opportunity for people to come and watch and learn from the Top Professionals in India and Asia. This is our small way of giving golf a boost in this region and we hope that it will eventually lead to the growth of the game. We take this opportunity to thank the PGTI and the Royal Calcutta Golf Club for the opportunity to host the Championship this year.”
Announcing the event, Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, “We’ve had an extraordinary 2017 PGTI season with the likes of youngsters Udayan Mane, Honey Baisoya and Khalin Joshi raising the bar and competing hard against the seasoned professionals such as Shamim Khan, Harendra Gupta and Mukesh Kumar. The McLeod Russel Tour Championship 2017 provides a fitting finale to this highly competitive season as the PGTI Order of Merit crown will be up for grabs with multiple contenders vying for the honour during the week. The presence of some of Indian golf’s biggest stars as well as some established foreign names adds to the appeal of PGTI’s blue-ribbon event which will once again be hosted by the revered Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC). We thank McLeod Russel for their unwavering support to the cause of Indian professional golf.”
Mr. Gaurav Ghosh, General Committee Member, Royal Calcutta Golf Club, said, “It’s a privilege for the RCGC to be hosting the McLeod Russel Tour Championship. The course has been prepared for the event and will prove a worthy test for the players.”
About McLeod Russel:
McLeod Russel India Limited (McLeod Russel) is the largest tea production company in the world in the private sector. McLeod Russel, along with its subsidiaries, currently produces about 120 million kilograms of tea over a cultivable area of 38,000 hectares, employing nearly 1, 00,000 in personnel. The geographical spread of the tea estates of McLeod Russel and its subsidiaries are situated in Asia (India & Vietnam) and Africa (Uganda & Rwanda). McLeod Russel also has operations in the Middle East, through its subsidiary in Dubai, engaged in tea blending and trading activities. India, as a single geography, has the largest share of its produce – with the estates located in the states of Assam and West Bengal (Dooars).
About Royal Calcutta Golf Club:
The world-renowned Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC), affectionately known as the ‘Royal’, is steeped in history, as it is the oldest golf club outside of the British Isles, having been established in 1829. It is widely regarded as the founder of the game in the country and has staged some of the most prestigious tournaments on Indian soil, including the Indian Open and the All India Amateur Championship. The 7014-yard course favours long hitters and inaccurate shots are punished severely. The large number of water hazards makes this course a real challenge to master.
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
