New Delhi, May 4 (IANS) A total of eight teams will be vying for the top honours at the 5th Louis Philippe Cup which tees off at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) in Bengaluru from May 30.
The four-day Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI)-approved tournament, carrying a purse of Rs.1.2 crore, will witness team managers brought in for the first time to mentor the squads.
The 72-hole tournament tournament will be preceded by a three-day training camp, which also is a first in domestic golf in the country.
PGTI director Uttam Singh Mundy said the format is customised keeping in mind the upcoming Rio Olympics and promises to be more exciting than the previous editions.
“The previous editions of the Louis Philippe Cup have set high standards and the tournament has been very popular with the players. The four-day, 72-hole stroke play format mirrors the format to be used at the Rio Olympics 2016 and adds to the excitement of the event,” Mundy said in a statement.
“The addition of a three-day team training camp prior to the event will help every team raise the bar. The introduction of highly experienced managers to be attached with each team will further motivate the teams and help them function better as a unit. This year’s event promises to be the most competitive and exciting edition so far,” he added.
Each of the eight teams comprise of two players from the top 16 ranked professionals on PGTI’s 2015 final order of merit to form a team with a player picked by the sponsors.
Three-time defending champions Navratna Ahmedabad will be led by Sri Lankan Mithun Perera while Devang Shah will team up as the team manager of the side.
Rahil Ganjee will lead the home side — Zion Hills Bengaluru — and will be managed by Tarun Sardesai while Chiragh Kumar and Bamby Randhawa will lead and manage the Laqshya Mumbai franchise respectively.
The reigns of the Take Chennai franchise will be at the hands of S.S.P. Chawrasia and D. Vasu will manage the side.
The Kapil Dev-owned Dev Chandigarh franchise will be led by Himmat Rai and managed by Jayanan while Gurgaon-based DLF — The Crest franchise will be skippered by Manu Gandas and managed by Karan Bindra and Anitya Chand.
Rashid Khan will lead the Jaypee Greens Greater Noida side and managed by Vijay Divecha while Hyderabad’s NSports side will be led by Gaganjeet Bhullar and managed by Rahul Ganapathy.