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Thursday, Dec 25, 2008
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BILT Open from today

Sports Reporter

GREATER NOIDA: Lucrative prize money, a star-studded field and a golf course promising very high scores set up a perfect platform for a mouth-watering contest in the Rs. 80 lakh BILT Open 2008, scheduled to begin here from the Christmas Day.

The Jaypee Greens course has been neatly prepared and the golfers would be delighted to know that it is likely to produce decent scores.

“The fairways and greens have been prepared nicely and we are going to see high scores. Maybe the winner can go up to score 18-under,” said Mukesh Kumar, the current leader in the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Order of Merit.

Despite being low on confidence on his putting, Mukesh is happy with his showing in the domestic circuit and expects to pocket the winner’s purse of Rs. 12.93, 200.

“Now-a-days prize money in India has gone up considerably. So, there is the motivation to do well and somebody like me does not think about the Asian or European tours,” Mukesh said.

Jeev, main attraction

Though defending champion Lam Chih Bing of Singapore — who won the Asian Tour’s season-ending Volvo Masters of Asia last week — will not play this year, star golfers of India will spice up the tournament.

Especially the presence of Jeev Milkha Singh, who has bagged four titles this year as well as the Asian Tour’s Players’ Player of the Year and the Order of Merit awards, will draw golf lovers to the Jaypee Greens.

“It’s great to have Jeev playing on the PGTI. Playing here helps us perform better abroad,” said Jyoti Randhawa, who won the inaugural edition in 2006.

Jeev, playing his first event on PGTI this year, is equally excited about his prospects. “Golf is the fastest-growing sport in the country and tournaments like these will help. I look forward to play alongside the best professionals of the country,” he said.

Other notable names

The other notable names in fray will be Shiv Kapur, S.S.P. Chowrasia and Gaurav Ghei.

“We have competed against each other abroad, now it would be great to play against each other at home,” said Kapur.

Fitting finale

Ready for its year-ending tournament, the PGTI also boasts of its growing stature. “The BILT Open marks a fitting finale to an exciting season. In the year gone by, the number of tournaments went up in comparison to 2007. The total purse for the year also increased. The season saw a tie-up with the Asian Tour, which was a major achievement,” said PGTI Director Padamjit Sandhu.

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