Kolkata Challenge Kolkata Challenge 2024 marks return of international golf tournament to Kolkata after 25 years
Kolkata/IBNS: The European Challenge Tour, TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) on Tuesday jointly launched the inaugural Kolkata Challenge.
The tournament co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour and the TATA Steel PGTI, carries a prize purse of US$ 300,000 and constitutes the second event in the two-week Indian swing of the Challenge Tour.
The event to be played at the historic RCGC in Kolkata from March 21 to 24, 2024, marks the return of an international event to Kolkata and the RCGC after a long gap of 25 years.
The Indian contingent will be led by legends Arjun Atwal and SSP Chawrasia, both playing at their home course.
Arjun Atwal, a PGA Tour and three-time DP World Tour winner, won the last international event to be staged at RCGC, the 1999 Indian Open, while olympian SSP Chawrasia, a four-time DP World Tour winner, was the joint runner-up at the 1999 Indian Open.
The other Indian golfers in the field include DP World Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar, Challenge Tour winner and 2023 TATA Steel PGTI Ranking champion Om Prakash Chouhan, current TATA Steel PGTI Ranking leader Manu Gandas, Rashid Khan, Olympian Udayan Mane, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, Chikkarangappa and Karandeep Kochhar.
The leading names from the Challenge Tour in the field include Road to Mallorca Ranking Number One John Parry of England, Mikael Lindberg and Björn Åkesson from Sweden, France’s Martin Couvra and Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard.
Speaking on the occasion, RCGC captain Gaurav Ghosh said, “We are proud to host the Kolkata Challenge, an international event at RCGC, after 25 years. We welcome all the overseas and PGTI players.”
Challenge Tour Director Jamie Hodges said, “It is great to be in Kolkata for the first time in the Challenge Tour's history. After an outstanding week in Delhi, we are delighted to be here for the second of back-to-back events in the country and to be working closely once again with our friends at the PGTI."
“The historic venue of Royal Calcutta Golf Club is the perfect setting for four days of competition between some of the best golfing talent from the PGTI and Europe," Hodges said.
“These events are crucial in the early part of our season, to ensure playing opportunities for our members at a time when it's difficult for us to play in most of Europe. It's going to be an exciting week,” he added.
(Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)
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