Golfers set for Golconda Masters
Olympian and defending champion Udayan Mane starts favourite
Fresh from a personal high of representing India at the recent Tokyo Olympics, Udayan Mane is gung-ho about teeing off at the Golconda Masters Telangana Open, to be played over the weekend at the Hyderabad Golf Association course.
That he is the defending champion doubles his confidence. “It’s an honour to come back and defend my title,” enthused the 30year-old on Tuesday at the launch of the tournament that carries `40 lakh prize money.
“This city has been kind to me. It’s the No.1 in food and the (HGA) members here make you feel like it’s home. And there’s so much history and heritage associated with this course,” the two-time winner added of the layout that brings players up close with the Golconda Fort.
Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Order of Merit leader Karandeep Kochhar concurred. “Amazing hospitality. This is one of the places that understands us as players. I’d say the course in Hyderabad is among the top three in the country,” he chipped in.
Udayan seems quite a different player after the Tokyo tee-off. “The Olympics has been a lifechanging experience for me in terms of getting a perspective of golf at the international level,” he says.
“After returning home from Tokyo, we’ve been getting good vibes all over.
People from all sections are reaching out and suddenly a lot of people are taking interest in the sport. It’s a huge plus for us pro golfers,” he added.
Other notable names among the 129 golfers (123 professionals and six amateurs) to feature at the seventh edition of the event are Chikkarangappa S (2019 winner), Harendra Gupta (2015 winner), Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi, Viraj Madappa and Aman Raj.
The Pro-Am event will be held on Wednesday.
The foreign challenge
will be led by the Bangladeshi duo of Md Zamal Hossain Mollah and Badal Hossain.
Hyderabad-based professionals Haider Hussain, Mohd Azhar, Venkkat Gautham, Rupinder Singh Gill and Sanjay Kumar Singh and amateurs Hardik S Chawda, Tarun Ajay, Rahul Ajay, Tej Gangavarapu, Sankeerth Nidadavolu and Milind Soni provide the local flavour.
The Golconda Masters gets the domestic circuit going after a five-month gap and PGTI Tournament Director Sampath Chari
feels there’s “no place to restart.”
“This is the most prestigious tournament on the PGTI calendar. The course is in great shape and is getting better and better, offering different challenges to players,” he said.
Promoted by the Telangana Tourism Development Corporation and the Hyderabad Golf Association, the 212-acre expanse provides an 18hole, 6,200 yard, par-71 layout that also features a floodlit driving range, a pro shop, a golf fitting shop, and training & practice facilities.
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