Chandigarh, 31-10-2023

Sixth edition of Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational presented by TAKE Sports tees-off on November 2

• Top names at the event include Jeev Milkha Singh, Rahil Gangjee, Rashid Khan, TATA Steel PGTI Ranking Leader Om Prakash Chouhan, Khalin Joshi, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, Aman Raj, Jairaj Singh Sandhu • Prize Purse of INR 1.5 crore

TAKE Sports and the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) will be staging the sixth edition of the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational presented by TAKE at the esteemed Chandigarh Golf Club from November 2 – 5, 2023. The main event will be preceded by the Pro-Am event on November 1.

The tournament had been jointly launched by TAKE Sports and TATA Steel PGTI in 2018 as a gesture to honour Indian golfing great Jeev Milkha Singh.  

The tournament is being staged at Jeev’s home course, the Chandigarh Golf Club, for the sixth year in succession and offers a handsome prize purse of INR 1.5 crore. The field will feature 130 participants including 127 professionals and three amateurs.

The attractive field for the tournament this year will feature event host Jeev Milkha Singh along with India’s international winners such as Rahil Gangjee, Rashid Khan, TATA Steel PGTI Ranking Leader Om Prakash Chouhan, Khalin Joshi, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, Sujjan Singh and Himmat Singh Rai as well as other leading Indian players such as Aman Raj, Olympian Udayan Mane and last week’s winner Jairaj Singh Sandhu.

The foreign challenge will be led by Sri Lankans N Thangaraja, Mithun Perera, Anura Rohana and K Prabagaran, Bangladeshis Jamal Hossain, Badal Hossain and Md Akbar Hossain, American Varun Chopra, Nepal’s Sukra Bahadur Rai, Canadian Sukhraj Singh Gill and Andorra’s Kevin Esteve Rigaill.

The other prominent names from Chandigarh besides Jeev Milkha Singh, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, Sujjan Singh and Jairaj Singh Sandhu, are those of Akshay Sharma, Aadil Bedi, Abhijit Singh Chadha, Angad Cheema, Harendra Gupta, Ravi Kumar, Harmeet Kahlon, Amandeep Johl, Gurbaaz Mann, Ranjit Singh and Amritinder Singh, to name a few.

The legendary Jeev Milkha Singh is the first Indian professional golfer to have a PGTI event named after him. Jeev conquered uncharted territory over two decades back when he became one of the first Indian golfers to taste success at the international level. Since then, he has added many more firsts and Indian records to his name.

Jeev has the rare distinction of being the only Indian to have won the Asian Tour Order of Merit twice (in 2006 & 2008). He has won multiple titles on the DP World Tour, Japan Golf Tour and Asian Tour and has 14 Major appearances to his credit. Jeev has also achieved a career-high world ranking of 28, an Indian record. Jeev is now a regular on the Senior Tours in Europe and Japan. He registered the best finish by an Indian at a Senior Major earlier this year when he finished tied 14th at the Senior Open.

Tournament host Jeev Milkha Singh said, “It’s one of the most eagerly awaited weeks of the year for me as hosting an event named after myself is always special. The Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational presented by TAKE Sports, the first tournament on the PGTI to be named after a player, has gone from strength to strength over the years and I expect the sixth edition of the event to be another memorable experience for the players and golf fans alike. The tournament has all the makings of a classic contest with a top-class field vying for the coveted trophy at my home course, the Chandigarh Golf Club, which has provided immaculate playing conditions and has a history of producing nail-biting finishes.”

“I would like to thank Mr. Srinivasan H R and TAKE for honouring me through this event and I would also like to thank the PGTI, all our players and the Chandigarh Golf Club for their huge contribution in making the event one of the biggest attractions of the season.”

Mr. Srinivasan H R, Director, TAKE Sports and President, PGTI, said, “I am absolutely delighted to partner Jeev Milkha Singh in hosting the sixth edition of the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational. This event is now one of the most highly-anticipated and marquee events on the PGTI. We are committed to taking it from strength to strength.”

Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, “The Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational presented by TAKE Sports, in its sixth year now, has been a fitting tribute to Indian golf legend Jeev Milkha Singh for his path-breaking achievements. The event continues to be a big draw for India's top professionals and golf fans alike. We thank TAKE Sports for conceiving the event and supporting it. A week of high-voltage golfing action awaits us as a strong field is set to stake claim to the prestigious trophy and big prize purse at the challenging Chandigarh Golf Club layout. We thank Chandigarh Golf Club for their support in staging the event.”

Col. H S Chahal, President, Chandigarh Golf Club, said, “We look forward to hosting the sixth edition of the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational presented by TAKE Sports, an event which has become synonymous with the Chandigarh Golf Club over the years. With the field of 130 players including 127 professionals featuring India's finest talent showcasing their skills, the tournament goes a long way in inspiring budding golfers from the region to emulate these leading professionals. The fierce competition on the course is also a visual treat for golf fans in the city.”

Mr. K S Sibia, Captain, Chandigarh Golf Club, said, “The Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational presented by TAKE Sports is one of the highlights of the Indian golfing calendar and the Chandigarh Golf Club is honoured to host the event for the sixth year in succession. Besides Jeev, one of the torch-bearers of Indian golf, the Chandigarh Golf Club has produced many other Indian professionals of international repute and with the staging of this event we seek to inspire more champions for the future. We're confident that the top Indian professionals participating this week will relish the perfect playing conditions at the CGC.”

The Chandigarh Golf Club has been a nursery for Indian professional golf having produced many leading Indian professionals such as Jeev Milkha Singh, Harmeet Kahlon, Uttam Singh Mundy, Amandeep Johl, Amritinder Singh, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Sujjan Singh and Gurbaaz Mann, to name a few.

Press Conference picture caption:

Indian Golf Legend and Tournament Host Jeev Milkha Singh (3rd from right), two-time international winner Rashid Khan (2nd from right) and PGTI winner Jairaj Singh Sandhu (2nd from left) pose with the trophy of the Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational 2023 presented by TAKE Sports at the Press Conference on Tuesday. The other dignitaries seen in the picture are Col. H S Chahal, President, Chandigarh Golf Club (3rd from left), Mr. K S Sibia, Captain, Chandigarh Golf Club (extreme left) and Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI (extreme right).