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Event
The Golconda Masters 2017 will tee off at Hyderabad Golf Club from Feb 16th – 19th . The event will feature a prize purse of INR 40 lacs. It is a full field event with 126 golfers participating in just the second event of the young 2017 PGTI season.
Set in the midst of the historic Golconda fort complex, this is only the third time that the challenging and beautiful layout of Hyderabad Golf Club which underwent a dramatic transformation in 2014 will host a PGTI event. The top PGTI professionals will enjoy the challenge that the well maintained fairways and greens of this magnificent golf course will present this week while the rich heritage surrounding the golf course will add to the aura of the championship.
This is a 72-hole stroke-play tournament where 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 Pro-Am event will be played on February 15th.
The likes of 2016 Panasonic Open champion Mukesh Kumar, 2014 Order of Merit champion Shankar Das, multiple tournament winners Udayan Mane, Honey Baisoya, Om Prakash Chouhan, Khalin Joshi, Shamim Khan and defending champion Ajeetesh Sandhu will be the big names in the field this week.
The prominent international names in the field are Mithun Perera, N Thangaraja, Anura Rohana, K Prabagaran (all from Sri Lanka), Kunal Bhasin of Australia, Nepal’s Toran Bikram Shahi and American Raj Randhawa.
The host city of Hyderabad will be represented by professional Haider Hussain and six amateurs, namely Anantha Sridhar Reddy, C Rohan Reddy, K Shashidhar Reddy, Hardik Chawda, Rahul Ajay and Sankeerth Nidadavolu.
The players will be looking to gain competitive sharpness as the 2017 season gathers pace and also keeping one eye on next month’s Hero Indian Open.
Have a look at last year’s highlights and the lead up to Ajeetesh Sandhu’s win:
Course
The Hyderabad Golf club is located in a historic setting in and around Golconda fort. A project promoted by the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation and the Hyderabad Golf Association. Hyderabad’s first and only public golf course, it is accessible to golfers from all over the world.
The Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA), a non-profit society, was formed in 1992 with the objective of building a golf course to meet international standards. This facility would be accessible to all civilian residents of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad as also visiting golfers from India and abroad.
It would also be an added attraction to the social infrastructure of the city, which was becoming a major tourist, business and industrial destination. The course would also to be the cradle for training talented young golfers to become the champions of the future.
The site comprises of the former municipal garbage dump and an area within the ‘Naya Qila’ – a component of the Golconda fort complex. The project is a joint venture development between the AP Tourism Development Corporation Ltd (a Govt. of A.P. undertaking) and HGA.
HGA has a modern clubhouse & well-maintained and manicured 18 hole, 6057 yard, Par 71 course with the fastest greens in the twin cities. These along with a floodlit driving range, pro shop & adequate training & practice facilities– has enabled HGA to become the top golfing destination in the city.
With a rapidly growing golf membership & a program that is encouraging more and more youngsters to take up the game, the golfing traffic at the course has seen exponential growth.
Sponsors
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. Gautam Thapar (President), PGTI's governing body comprises leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
Past Champions
2016 – Ajeetesh Sandhu
2015 – Harendra Gupta
