Bangalore: The country’s top amateurs will be seen in action when the Tata Steel Southern India Amateur, the sixth event of the Tata Steel Indian Amateur Golf Tour tees off at the challenging Karnataka Golf Association course here on Tuesday. This is one of the most stellar fields in recent times where all the top 22 players on the IGU Order of Merit are in fray.
As many as 99 players will battle it out for honours in the event to be played over four days of strokeplay. Leading the competition front is the youth brigade of Karan Taunk who is currently perched at the No.1 spot on the Order of Merit, local lads Udayan Mane, Syed Saqib Ahmed and Trishul Chinnappa who occupy the second, fourth and fifth positions respectively, Viraj Madappa (No.3) and Samarth Dwivedi (No.6) amongst others. Young Manu Gandas who had won the IGU South Zone Juniors a couple of months at the same venue is back from a confidence-building victory at Coimbatore last week and would be looking to register an encore. The win has also catapulted the Gurgaon youngster to the ninth position on the Order of Merit.
Amongst the experienced, the battle will be between three time Sri Lankan Open Amateur champion Simarjeet Singh (No.7), Vikram Rana (No.10), Gagan Verma and Jasjeet Singh.
Tata Steel who have taken on the mantle of the title sponsors have truly added steel in the growth and development program for the sport of golf. “We are happy to play host to the prestigious event a part of a very successful season of the Tata Steel Amateur Tour,” said Farzan Heerjee, Head Corporate Relations, Tata Steel. “We are pleased that our efforts have resulted in producing and nurturing some exceptional talent and we hope to further grow the Tour in the coming seasons,” added Farzan.
“I played the practice round today and the course is in good condition. The overnight rains had slowed the pace of the game but the greens and fairways are in excellent condition, said Manu Gandas on the on the eve of the tournament.
The 7227-yard KGA Course is one of the longest courses in India and is primed to host the prestigious event. The strategically placed water bodies and bunkers call for accuracy. Given a strong field and a challenging layout, the golf fans are in for an exciting action at the KGA.
