Noida: Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal and Daniel Chopra who have tasted success in global International golf tours across the world from US to Japan, including Europe and Asia, will lock horns with the very best of Indian golf in the inaugural Shubhkamna Champions Tournament, which tees off on Friday. The tournament brings together the best-ever field of Indian champions in a single event.
The one-of-its-kind event, conceptualised by twice Asian Order of Merit winner Jeev, will see 30 top stars in a 54-hole stroke play contest, which has a prize purse of Rs 60 lakhs at the Noida Golf Course from December 21-23.
The inaugural edition of a tournament will see 10 International tour members and 20 winners of 2012 PGTI and other tournaments. Apart from the ‘Big Four’ – Jeev, Atwal, Chopra and Jyoti Randhawa – the field includes the younger lot Shiv Kapur, Rahil Gangjee and Sujjan Singh and the ‘Gen Next’ like Anirban Lahiri, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Himmat Rai.
The PGTI stars include champions like Shamim Khan, the winner of the 2012 PGTI Order of Merit, No. 2 Rashid Khan and players like Sri Lankans Mithun Perera and Anura Rohana, winners on PGTI Tour. There is also Siddikur of Bangladesh, a winner on Asian Tour, and Zamal Hossain Mollah, winner of Bangladesh Open, and Australian of Indian origin, Kunal Bhasin, also a winner on Indian Tour. Ashok Kumar, Manav Jaini, Chiragh Kumar, Shankar Das are also in the field.
Jeev who turned 41 on December 15, a day before he was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement in Brunei, where he played a crucial role in helping Asia beat Europe in the Royal Trophy, now becomes the first Indian to host a tournament.
He said, “Its fantastic to be able to host a tournament like this. I am thankful to the sponsors, Shubhkamna for supporting my idea. They came forward at the right time and made this happen. I must also thank all the top pros for coming out and supporting this tournament.
Chopra, who finished in top-10 for two weeks in a row in Thailand and Malaysia, would love to celebrate his 39th birthday, falling on the last day of the event, with a title win.
Chopra, who has two PGA Tour titles, one of which was a Tournament of Champions, added, “When we were young, we were taught to play carefully for pars. You were told to get to the Greens in regulation – in one for par-3, in two for par-4 and in three for par-5s – and the two putt for pars. But now the youngsters want to go for birdies on each hole. I think there will be a time when they will go for birdies on every hole. I have seen some of the young Koreans, who are just amazing.”
On his own game, Chopra, who played in Delhi a lot during his formative years, said, “I have been playing well as was seen in the last two weeks and would love to cap the year with a win. I am going to be playing some PGA and Web.com events next year.”
Atwal added, “The upcoming Indian players have been performing very well on the world stage since they are quick learners and are undeterred by the opposition. The Shubhkamna Championship will provide them a brilliant opportunity to play at a big stage,” he added.
On how the year went for him, he added, “This year was very disappointing for me. I was struggling with a knee injury and it would be a great opportunity for me to win a title here and take that confidence into 2013.”
Jeev picked Gaganjeet Bhullar and Anirban Lahiri for special mention. “They are moving in the right direction and that is where the future of Indian golf lies,” said Jeev, who also had a word of praise for the Noida Golf Course.
He added, “It is a very strong field. It has a string of champions from all Tours, right from PGA to Europe to Asia and India. So we have a variety of champions and that’s what makes the event so exciting. I hope the youngsters will get inspired and come to watch us all in action. They are the future of Indian golf.”
On the Lifetime Achievement Award he received in Brunei alongside 18-time Major winner, Jack Nicklaus, and eight-time European Order of Merit winner, Colin Montgomerie, Jeev said, “It’s a great honour to be recognised alongside players like Jack Nicklaus and Colin Montgomerie. It drives me more to do even more for the golf, and hopefully, I'll be able to do that in coming years.”
By Indian Sports News Network
