Kolkata, 25-12-2013
McLeod Russel Tour Championship - Race to Royal Calcutta Golf Club to tee-off on December 26th
• PGTI’s Year-Ending Championship
• Prize purse of Rs. 1.35 Cr, highest-ever in India
• Only top 60 players on the Rolex Rankings to be eligible
McLeod Russel, the world’s largest tea producer, and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), will be staging the McLeod Russel Tour Championship 2013, the PGTI’s Year-Ending Championship, at the esteemed Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) from December 26 – 29, 2013. The tournament’s prize purse of Rs. 1.35 crore is the highest-ever for a domestic event in India.
The event will see the top 60 players from the PGTI’s 2013 Rolex Rankings compete for top honours along with five sponsor invites. 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 top-60 includes the likes of Rashid Khan (current Rolex Rankings leader), Shamim Khan (2012 Rolex Rankings champion), rookies Chikkarangappa S and Angad Cheema (both currently in the top-5 of the Rolex Rankings), Chiragh Kumar (2011 Rolex Rankings champion) and Mukesh Kumar, to name a few. The five professionals playing on sponsor invites are defending champion SSP Chowrasia, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Anirban Lahiri, Jyoti Randhawa and Rahil Gangjee.
There are eight foreign players in the field and the prominent names among them are Md Zamal Hossain Mollah (Bangladesh), N Thangaraja (Sri Lanka), Mithun Perera (Sri Lanka), Shivaram Shrestha (Nepal) and Kunal Bhasin (Australia).
The eight Kolkata-based professionals in the fray are SSP Chowrasia, Rahil Gangjee, Shankar Das, Feroz Ali Mollah, Divyanshu Bajaj, Rafick Ali Mollah, Raju Ali Mollah and Mohammad Sanju.
While the inaugural edition of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship in 2012 carried a prize purse of Rs. 1.25 crore, the second edition has an increased prize purse of Rs. 1.35 crore. The prize money for the next edition in 2014 will witness a further increase to Rs. 1.5 crore.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Aditya Khaitan, Managing Director, McLeod Russel, said, “After the success of 2012, we are very happy to be hosting the second edition of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship. 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. McLeod Russel’s heritage is based on values, culture and commitment and a strong belief in supporting and backing the right talent, and keeping that in mind, we will be sponsoring one professional and two amateur golfers from Kolkata for the 2014 season. We hope this will help the young golfers in taking the next steps in realizing their full golfing potential. We will be on the lookout for budding golfers in the future as well, and have put in place a committee to evaluate and identify budding golfers. We take this opportunity to thank the PGTI and the Royal Calcutta Golf Club for the opportunity to host the Championship this year. We are committed to the McLeod Russel Tour Championship and in the development of golf.”
Announcing the event, Mr. Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said, “It is always great to be back at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC). The race for the Rolex Player of the Year at the 2013 McLeod Russel Tour Championship will make it a befitting week with our top players and invited Indian golf icons making it the strongest ever player field at a PGTI championship. We thank McLeod Russel for their strong support to professional golf and look forward to an exciting week at the richest ever prize purse domestic championship of Rs. 13.5 million.”
Mr. Gaurav Ghosh, General Committee Member, RCGC, said, “On behalf of the members and the committee, I would like to thank McLeod Russell and PGTI for bringing the tournament to the Royal for the second year.”
About McLeod Russel:
McLeod Russel India Limited (McLeod Russel) is the largest tea plantation company in the world. McLeod Russel, along with its subsidiaries, currently produces about 100 million kilograms of tea over a cultivable area of 38,000 hectares, employing nearly 1,00,000 in personnel. The geographical spread of 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. Srinivasan H R (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
