New Delhi: Former Major champion, Rich Beem and Oliver Wilson, a former Ryder Cup player, will be among the leading stars who will descend on the Kensville Golf and Country Club for the third edition of the Gujarat Kensville Challenge.
The Gujarat Kensville Challenge 2013, which will set the tone for the new European Challenge Tour season, is India’s only Challenge Tour event. It is jointly sanctioned with the Professional Golf Tour of India (“PGTI”) and will herald the first tournament on home soil for the 2013 PGTI season.
It will once again carry a purse of Euros 200,000 but will have an increased field of 120 players, including 63 members from the European Challenge Tour and 57 from the PGTI.
The event will be held at the pristine Kensville Golf & Country Club in Ahmedabad, for which Jeev Milkha Singh is the Brand Ambassador. The tournament dates are January 31st through February 3rd.
The event will also be blessed with cricketing greatness through the presence of iconic cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, another of the Brand Ambassadors of the Kensville Golf & Country Club, who will visit the event on the Pro-Am day.
The presence of Rich Beem as a former Major champion is a significant coup for the event. Beem scored a historic win at the last Major of 2002 when he rallied from behind to beat Tiger Woods by one shot to win the PGA Championship. He has two other PGA Tour wins to his name.
Oliver Wilson, considered one of the ‘stars for the future’ when he started out has been second on no less than nine occasions on the European Tour, including the HSBC Champions and Alfred Dunhill Links Championships. He also played in the 2008 Ryder Cup when he teamed up with Henrik Stenson to beat Anthony Kim and Phil Mickelson.
The field for the 2013 edition will also include the 2011 winner, Gaganjeet Bhullar, currently the top Indian player in golf’s world rankings, and the 2012 runner-up Rahil Gangjee, together with other leading Indian players such as Himmat Rai, Chiragh Kumar, Shamim Khan and Rashid Khan.
Sameer Sinha, Managing Director of Savvy Infrastructure, which owns the Kensville Golf & Country Club, said: “Kensville is delighted to welcome the GKC once again this year. Our association with the European Challenge Tour has truly been a privilege.”
He added, “It has brought a golf event of international standing to Gujarat and has served the purpose of popularising golf in India very well. I am sure we will all enjoy and benefit from seeing players of the calibre and pedigree of Rich Beem and Oliver Wilson tee up for the third edition.”
And aside from the great golfers on display, we will also have the pleasure of hosting India’s cricketing genius, Sachin Tendulkar, which will make this year’s event even more special.”
Jeev Milkha Singh, the Brand Ambassador for the golf course and the event, said, “I am proud to be associated with this event, which has grown in strength and stature over the past three years. It has opened a new window for young golfers and gives the Indian stars a great chance to make a good start right at the beginning of the year. Gaganjeet, who won this event in 2011, has since matured into a fine golfer and we are sure to find similar champions this year and in the future.”
Alain de Soultrait, Director of the Challenge Tour, added: “We are delighted to be getting the 2013 Challenge Tour season off to such a great start on two fantastic courses at Kensville in India and Karen in Kenya.”
“The weather in the two countries is perfect and the quality of the hospitality at both venues is always of the highest calibre. With Kensville G&CC we have an exceptional partner and we thank them as well as the Gujarat state for their commitment and support”.
Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said, "The Gujarat Kensville Challenge which has been on our schedule for three years now, will once again herald the start of our strong season for 2013. Almost all our top stars are expected to tee off at Kensville Golf and Country Club and they will compete with some very talented European players as also some other well known and established stars."
"The Savvy Group and Kensville have been great supporters of Indian golf and I am sure this association will grow in strength."
In a thrilling finish last year, Maximilian Kieffer, who comes from the same city, Dusseldorf, as Ryder Cup hero Martin Kaymer, edged out Indian favourite Rahil Gangjee in a play-off. In keeping with the European Challenge Tour’s position as a stepping stone to the main European Tour, it is pleasing to note that Kieffer has now moved onto the Main Tour for 2013 – his gain is the Challenge’s loss!
