Glitzy Chandigarh Open gets underway tomorrow

Top leading Indian names, including Jeev Milkha Singh, Gaganjeet Bhullar, SSP Chawrasia, Om Prakash Chouhan, Manu Gandas, Rahil Gangjee, Rashid Khan, Veer Ahlawat, Abhinav Lohan, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, Chikkarangappa and Karandeep Kochhar among other, will be turning up at the Chandigarh Golf Club greens to compete in the inaugural Chandigarh Open 2024 backed by Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

The tournament carries a prize purse of ₹1 crore and will be played from Wednesday to Saturday. The Pro-Am event will be played on Tuesday.

The top foreign names in the field include Sri Lankans N Thangaraja and K Prabagaran, Bangladeshis Jamal Hossain and Badal Hossain, Andorra’s Kevin Esteve Rigaill, American Varun Chopra as well as rookies, including PGTI qualifying school winner Matias Dominguez of Chile, Nepal’s Subash Tamang, Italy’s Michele Ortolani and Czechia’s Stepan Danek.

Besides Jeev Milkha Singh, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu and Karandeep Kochhar, the other prominent Chandigarh-based professionals in the field are Ajeetesh Sandhu, Jairaj Singh Sandhu, Angad Cheema, Harendra Gupta, Abhijit Singh Chadha, Aadil Bedi, Gurbaaz Mann, Amritinder Singh and Ravi Kumar.

Among the three amateurs participating is Jeev Milkha Singh’s 14-year-old son Harjai Milkha Singh. The other two amateurs participating, Ayaan Gupta and Ram Singh Maan, are also from Chandigarh.

On he and his son playing alongside in a pro tournament, Jeev said, “It is an emotional moment for me and my family that I and my son will be playing in a tournament together. My mother introduced golf to him. Although, my parents are not there anymore but I am sure they will bless my son from the sky.” Jeev lost his parents, Milkha Singh and Nirmal Singh, to Covid-19 a few years ago.

PGTI CEO Uttam Singh Mundy said, “It promises to be a thrilling week with some of India’s golfing greats, such as Jeev Milkha Singh, Gaganjeet Bhullar and SSP Chawrasia, highlighting a strong field.”

Chandigarh Golf Club president Ravibir Singh said, “The tournament promises to be a treat for golf fans in Chandigarh with some of the biggest names in Indian golf teeing it up and vying for a handsome prize purse. The event provides a great opportunity for the young golfing talents of Chandigarh to get a first-hand experience of golf at the highest level and also for us to showcase our course to a much wider audience through the live coverage in the last two rounds.”

Chandigarh Golf Club captain Rohit Dagar said, “This event has attracted a very strong field with players alike. Overall, it promises to be an exciting and competitive week of golf.”