Event
The first stage of the 2017 qualifying school will be held at Kensville Golf & Country Club in Ahmedabad this week from 10th to 11th January. Due to a high number of participaants, the event will be staged as two different tournaments: Pre Qualifying 1(10th-11th Jan) and Pre- Qualifying 2 (13th-14th Jan).
The event will offer no prize money but will guarantee participation in the final stage for the top 37 players and ties and assure them of conditional status on tour for the 2017 season at the very least.
There are 115 golfers vying for 37 spots in the final stage this week and the level of competition will be fierce as this Q school is a once in a year tournament that offers the only route to rising golfers to make it on India’s no.1 Golf tour.
The qualifiers will join the already exempt 47 players for the final stage where the field will comprise of 120 golfers.
Course
Situated in an idyllic location off Dev Dholera, 40 kms from Ahmedabad, the Kensville Golf course is Gujarat’s first truly international 18 hole championship course. With Jeev Milkha Singh as its brand ambassador & a European PGA sanctioned event venue tag, this is a must play course.
It is surrounded by places of historical, cultural and environmental significance – Lothal the seat of one of the most ancient civilizations ; the home of the Tarnetar Mela an event attended by folks from all over ; sanctuaries like the magnificient Nalsarovar bird sanctuary etc.
The course is part of a integrated luxury real estate project with Villas, townhouses etc & also has 50 luxury rooms with a club house and a host of leisure facilities including tennis, a swimming pool, gym, squash, biiliards etc. A health spa & a holistic health village are also planned.
Also Read: PGTI Qualifying School 2017 begins in Ahmedabad on January 10
The Kensville course has the unique distinction of being the host course for a European PGA sanctioned tour event in 2011 & 2012. The course was opened in 2006 & is a very tight course with narrow fairways & a lot of out of bounds in play. The terrain is flat & there are a lot of trees along the sides of the fairways. Ditches / hazards – there is water in play on 13 holes – make this a challenging course layout.
With a bird sanctuary around the corner you will be treated to the spectacle of a host of migratory birds during the migratory season. The course also has a 300 year old temple on the 14th hole which has been carefully retained.
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
2014 – Karan Taunk
2015 – Dinesh Raghuvanshi
2016 – Dipankar Kaushal
Field Watch
A look at who’s in the field for the first week of the new season:
QUALIFYING SCHOOL
1 ANTONY LAFAD2 A CHARLES3 ADITYA CHAHAL (A)4 AAKASH BAMNE(A)5 ABHAY SINGH CHAUHAN6 ABHISHEK SHARMA7 AJAY SHASHIKANT CONTROLLU8 AJAY BAISOYA9 DARSHAN LAL10 ARJUN CHADHA11 BHAWANI SINGH PARMAR12 BHARAT THAPAR13 ANWAR ALLABAKSH SHAIKH14 DEVINDER SINGH15 ANIL KUMAR (S)16 ANURAG NEOG17 ASHOK BHALERAO18 DILIP KESHAV MORE19 AMANDEEP SINGH (A)20 DHRUV SHEORAN (A)21 DEEPAK KUMAR YADAV (A)22 AKASH BHUTANI (A)23 DEEPAK MAHATO24 AKRAM ALI MOLLAH25 BHANU PRATAP SINGH26 DEEPAK CHOUHAN27 ANKIT NAGAR28 DEEP RAJ CHETIA (A)29 C ARUL30 ARVIND DAS31 DEVENDRA PATEL32 BISHWAM GHOSH (A)33 DEEPAK SHEKHAR MANE34 ARSHPREET SINGH THIND35 EADELLI NARESH36 IMRAN ALI MOLLAH (A)37 HARKARAN NIJJAR (A)38 HARSH RANA39 INDERJEET DALAL40 HARI OM41 ILAYARAJA C42 GAGAN DEEP GHOTRA43 AKASH MODI (A)44 GHULAM MOHAMMED GHORI45 IKRAMUDDIN SHAH46 HARDIK MEHENDIRATTA (A)47 INDRAJIT BHALOTIA48 MEHUL S RASTOGI49 JAIDEEP PATWARDHAN50 MD NAWAB51 MINTU BANIK52 JAIBIR SINGH (A)53 MAHESH YADAV54 MAHINDRA SINGH55 MANJU B H56 MANINDER SINGH SEKHON57 MALKIAT SINGH JOHAL58 MANOJ BHARDWAJ59 MAYUR P THAKUR60 KHUSHMANRAJ SINGH SANDHU (A)61 KISHORE KUMAR TALUKDAR62 KARAN SHARMA (A)63 KARTIK MAANDIYA64 MOHAMMAD SANJIB65 RAM PAL66 PRIANT SINGH RANDHAWA67 MD SAHUN68 NIKHIL SINGH69 RAHUL RAI AGARWAL70 RAHUL SINGH PATHANIA71 MOHIT SHARMA72 RAJARAM BABURAO SHINDE73 RAJENDER SINGH BRAR74 NAYAN SARVAIYA (A)75 MOHD EZZAZ (A)76 NOORUDDIN MALAK (A)77 PANDE PUTU AGUS DEDI ADNYANA78 PANKAJ MAANDIYA79 PREM SINGH CHOUDHARY (A)80 WILSON RAJ D MELLO81 VINAY KUMAR GUPTA82 SHAURYA SINGH83 VARUN SAHAY84 SURYAVIJAI SINGH85 SAURABH BHADURI86 SENTHIL KUMAR RAMDAS87 YOGENDRA KUMAWAT88 MANPREET MANN (A)89 SUNIL BABURAO GALFADE90 SACHIN CHOUHAN91 SHIVNEEL BERY92 SANDEEP GILL (A)93 SANTOSH KUMAR94 SUMEET CHOUDHARY95 SELVARAJ P96 RUPINDER SINGH GILL97 WILLIAM TONY98 SHRIKANT DESWAL99 TINKU BADLIYA100 RAMESH S NAYKA101 RAVI KUMAR102 SATISH RAJU SHETTY103 SUNNY NAGAR104 SAHIL SAGAR105 SARVPREET SINGH106 SANDEEP PHALNIKAR107 ROHAN KATHURIA108 SHANKAR HALDAR109 RAVINDER VANI (A)110 SHOUBHIT DHAMAN111 SURESHA (A)112 VENKKAT GAUTHAM (A)113 YUDHVIR MUNJAL (A)114 RAJA B R115 PETER CHERIAN (A)116 PUNEET DHIMAN (A)117 ABIR JAAT