Professional Golf Tour of India

Last updated

Professional Golf Tour of India
Current season, competition or edition:
Golf current event.svg 2024 Professional Golf Tour of India
Professional Golf Tour of India.png
FormerlyAircel Professional Golf Tour of India
Sport Golf
Founded2006
Inaugural season2006–07
CountryBased in India [lower-alpha 1]
Most titlesOrder of Merit titles:
Flag of India.svg Rashid Khan (3)
Tournament wins:
Flag of India.svg Mukesh Kumar (21)
Official website http://www.pgtofindia.com/

The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), currently titled as the Tata Steel Professional Golf Tour of India for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tour for men based in India. The tour was formed in 2006, as the successor to the Indian PGA Golf Tour, which ran from 1997 to 2006.

Contents

The PGTI serves as a feeder tour for higher level tours such as the Asian Tour. Many Indian players have become members of the Asian Tour, while a small number have joined the world's leading two tours, the European Tour and the United States-based PGA Tour.

The PGTI became a member of the International Federation of PGA Tours in 2009, but its events did not carry Official World Golf Ranking points unless they were co-sanctioned by tours that are included in the world ranking system. In July 2018, the OWGR announced that the PGTI would receive world ranking points in its own right beginning in 2019.

History

India's Royal Calcutta Golf Club was founded in 1829 and is usually regarded as the oldest outside the United Kingdom. In the early years Indian golf with dominated by British players and it was not until 1949 that Mohinder Bal became the first Indian to win the All-India Amateur Championship. The Indian Golf Union (IGU) was founded in 1955 to take over responsibility for Indian Golf, which had previously been largely in the hands of the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. The sport was still dominated by amateurs at that point, but most of them were now Indian.

In 1957 the IGU started a training program for caddies and professionals. In 1964 the Indian Open (open to both amateurs and professionals), was established and it soon replaced the All-India Amateur as the leading golf tournament in the country. Australian and five time British Open champion Peter Thomson used to stop over in India on his way from Australia to Europe, and he won the championship in 1964, 1966 and 1976. P. G. Sethi (an amateur) was the first Indian to win this tournament in 1965. In 1970 the Indian Open became part of the Asia Golf Circuit, the predecessor of the Asian Tour. In 1991 Ali Sher (a professional golfer) won the Indian Open, which made professional golf a much more attractive career option in India.

The Professional Golfers Association of India was founded in 1988 and several additional professional events were founded in India in the 1990s. From 1997 to 2006, the PGA of India Tour was managed by Tiger Sports Marketing on behalf of the PGA of India. Total prize money for the 2004/05 season was ₹ 30,500,000 (US$ 698,260 at 31 December 2004 exchange rate). There were around 20 events in the season, including tournaments in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

In October 2006 a group of leading Indian golfers including Jyoti Randhawa and Gaurav Ghei announced that they were setting up a new tour. This followed a dispute between the Professional Golfers Association of India and Tiger Sports Marketing, the organisers of the PGA of India Tour. The BBC reported that it was not clear whether this tour would simply take the place of the existing tour, or whether rival tours might develop. [1] In the event, the new tour, the Professional Golf Tour of India, took over as India's sole domestic professional tour, though Tiger Sports Marketing remained involved in other aspects of Indian golf.

The PGTI's schedule expanded rapidly in its first few seasons. In 2010 there were twenty-five events on the main schedule, including two co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour and one co-sanctioned with the European Tour, plus seven events on the Feeder Tour, which debuted that year. In 2011 the tour co-sanctioned an event with the European Tour's developmental circuit, the Challenge Tour, for the first time.

In December 2022, it was announced by the European Tour that the Professional Golf Tour of India had entered into a partnership with them and the PGA Tour. As part of the partnership, the leading player on the PGTI Order of Merit was given status onto the European Tour for the following season. [2]

Order of Merit winners

Professional Golf Tour of India

SeasonWinnerPrize money (₹)
2023 Flag of India.svg Om Prakash Chouhan 11,826,059
2022 Flag of India.svg Manu Gandas 8,850,688
2020–21 Flag of India.svg Udayan Mane 5,872,275
2019 Flag of India.svg Rashid Khan (3)6,627,650
2018 Flag of India.svg Khalin Joshi 6,281,340
2017 Flag of India.svg Shamim Khan (2)5,164,233
2016 Flag of India.svg Rashid Khan (2)4,479,880
2015 Flag of India.svg S. Chikkarangappa 4,887,440
2014 Flag of India.svg Shankar Das 5,432,067
2013 Flag of India.svg Rashid Khan 4,638,284
2012 Flag of India.svg Shamim Khan 5,747,713
2011 Flag of India.svg Chiragh Kumar 3,706,821
2010 Flag of India.svg Ashok Kumar (2)5,394,125
2009 Flag of India.svg Anirban Lahiri 3,657,853
2007–08 Flag of India.svg Mukesh Kumar 3,431,992
2006–07 Flag of India.svg Ashok Kumar 4,417,875

PGA of India Tour

SeasonWinnerPrize money (₹)Ref.
Aamby Valley PGAI Tour
2005–06 Flag of India.svg Mukesh Kumar (5)1,721,795 [3]
2004–05 Flag of India.svg Mukesh Kumar (4)2,626,350
Hero Honda Golf Tour
2003–04 Flag of India.svg Ashok Kumar 1,253,710 [4]
2002–03 Flag of India.svg Mukesh Kumar (3)2,177,402
2001–02 Flag of India.svg Mukesh Kumar (2)1,751,425
Wills Sport Golf Tour
2000–01 Flag of India.svg Mukesh Kumar 1,300,685
1999–00 Flag of India.svg Vijay Kumar (3)1,185,124 [5]
1998–99 Flag of India.svg Vijay Kumar (2)1,341,564
Indian PGA Golf Tour
1997–98 Flag of India.svg Vijay Kumar

Notes

  1. ↑ Schedules have also included events in Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Challenge Tour</span> Professional golf tour in Europe

The Challenge Tour is the second-tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and similarly with the main European Tour and the European Senior Tour, some of the events are played outside Europe.

The PGA Tour of Australasia, currently titled as the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia for sponsorship reasons, is a professional golf tour for men, owned and operated by the PGA of Australia. Official events on the tour count for World Golf Ranking points. The tour is recognised as being founded in 1973 when the PGA of Australia instituted an Order of Merit. Despite always including at least one tournament in New Zealand, the tour was known as the PGA Tour of Australia until it adopted its current name in 1991 following the inclusion of three events in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arjun Atwal</span> Indian professional golfer

Arjun Singh Atwal is an Indian professional golfer who has played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour and is the first player born in India to become a member of, and later win a tournament on the U.S.-based PGA Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeev Milkha Singh</span> Indian professional golfer

Jeev Milkha Singh Rathore is an Indian professional golfer who became the first player from India to join the European Tour in 1998. He has won four events on the European Tour, becoming the most successful Indian on tour. He was the first Indian golfer to break into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking in October 2006. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of Padma Shri in 2007. He is also the recipient of 1999 Arjuna Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mardan Mamat</span> Singaporean professional golfer

Mardan Mamat is a Singaporean professional golfer.

The Indian Masters was a professional golf tournament on the European and Asian Tours, that was played in February 2008. The tournament was introduced as part of the continuing globalisation of the European Tour, making India the 37th territory to stage a European Tour event, and increasing to twelve the number of tournaments played in Asia as of the 2008 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaganjeet Bhullar</span> Indian professional golfer

Gaganjeet Singh Bhullar is an Indian professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour. He was awarded Arjuna Award in 2013.

Rahil Gangjee is a professional golfer from India who currently plays on the Asian Tour, where he has two victories.

Mukesh Kumar is a professional golfer from India who currently plays on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). He has won six Order of Merit titles on the PGTI and on earlier Indian tours. In terms of professional wins he is one of India's most successful golfers. He won his first Asian Tour event in 2016 at the Panasonic Open India.

Digvijay Singh is a professional golfer from India currently playing on the Professional Golf Tour of India and the Asian Tour.

The Avantha Masters was a professional golf tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour, Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India. The tournament was played at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Delhi from 2010 to 2012 and moved to Jaypee Greens Golf Club, Greater Noida in 2013.

Mohammad Siddikur Rahman is a Bangladeshi professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anirban Lahiri</span> Indian professional golfer

Anirban Lahiri is an Indian professional golfer. He has played on the Asian Tour, European Tour, PGA Tour and LIV Golf. He was awarded the 2014 Arjuna Award and was also the recipient of the "Sera Bangali" award in 2015, given by the Anandabazar Patrika.

Chiragh Kumar is an Indian professional golfer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golf in India</span>

Golf in India is a growing sport. Golf is especially popular among the wealthier classes, but has not yet caught on with others due to the expenses involved in playing.

Aman Raj is an Indian golfer from Patna, Bihar, India. He was a part of the Indian Golf Team (Under-19).

Rashid Khan is an Indian professional golfer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Kim</span> South Korean professional golfer (born 2002)

Kim Joo-hyung, commonly known as Tom Kim, is a South Korean professional golfer. He has won three times on the PGA Tour, and twice on both the Asian Tour and the Korean Tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rahul Bajaj (golfer)</span> Indian professional golfer (born 1986)

Rahul Bajaj is an Indian professional golfer. As an amateur, he was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Asian Games. Bajaj turned professional a year later at the 2011 Indian Open. He played on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) between from 2012 to 2018 and won once on the PGTI's Feeder Tour, in 2012. He also played on the Asian Tour, Asian Development Tour (ADT), the MENA Tour.

The 2022 Professional Golf Tour of India, titled as the 2022 Tata Steel Professional Golf Tour of India for sponsorship reasons, was the 15th season of the Professional Golf Tour of India, the main professional golf tour in India since it was formed in 2006.

References

  1. ↑ "New golf tour unveiled in India". BBC Sport. 20 October 2006. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
  2. ↑ "Professional Golf Tour of India partners with DP World Tour, PGA Tour". European Tour. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  3. ↑ "Mukesh Kumar". tigersportsmarketing.com. Retrieved 1 February 2009.[ dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Ashok Kumar". tigersportsmarketing.com. Retrieved 1 February 2009.[ dead link ]
  5. ↑ "Vijay Kumar". tigersportsmarketing.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 2 February 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.