SHILLONG: The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), ‘the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India’, is all set to make its debut in Meghalaya with the staging of the inaugural Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Open Golf at the Shillong Golf Club in Shillong. The tournament carries a prize purse of Rs. 40 lakh. The event will be staged from November 12 – 15, 2014. The Pro-Am event will be played on November 16, 2014.
The tournament, set to be the first professional event in Shillong in nine years, is expected to feature some of the leading Indian professionals. The prize purse of Rs. 40 lakh will be the highest-ever for an event in the North Eastern region of India.
Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said that PGTI’s debut in the state of Meghalaya will help create a platform for the growth of the sport and golf tourism in the region. “We seek to build a strong foundation for the sport in North East India with the staging of professional events. An attractive prize purse and a strong player field will generate tremendous excitement over a great week of golf.
He also thanked the Chief Minister for his patronage and vision in supporting PGTI to stage the event and leverage opportunities for the state and the sport.
Cabinet Minister AL Hek, the Chairman appealed to the public to refrain from littering on the Golf Course and play football on the Greens.
Gaurav Bajaj , Organising Secretary said that thes event will be a great turning point for the Shillong Golf Course .The backend preparations is on full swing.
“We are trying our level best to bring the Golf Course as per the required standards of hosting a professional tournament. The Club will nominate 6 local caddy Pros – Jit Bahadur Chettry, Johnwell Momin, Jeevan Sharma, Gautam Lama, Roshan Lama and Bishnu Chettri and 4 of the top Club amateurs namely Rahul Bajaj, Prakash Pathaw, Gaurav Baja.