INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

All golf tournaments threads should be posted here.

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V Krishnaswamy
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by V Krishnaswamy »

Guys excuse me for starting a new topic "Indian PGA and Golf in India". I just thought, posting news and info on threads like Jeev-Atwal or Daniel or JPGA might mean Indian players playing in India might get lost. And if people agree, we could have another topic saying "Indian Golfers Abroad" which would have info on the likes of Jeev, Atwal, Jyoti, Daniel, Smriti, others who play on Asian Tour. That would make it easy for people to follow and post views, news and info.

For starters, I am putting here again, what I mentioned abt Harinder in an earlier posting on another thread..

Harinder Gupta, who recently became only the fourth Indian amateur to win a professional tournament on Indian PGA tour at the Hero Golf Chandigarh Open, has turned pro. The PGAI has also announced a two-year exemption for him on Indian PGA Tour by virtue of the win. Harinder makes his debut at the Rs. 28 lakh event, which is jointly sponsored by Tiger Sports Marketing and PGAI.

The PGAI-TSM Open as it is called is the richest domestic event -- apart from the Asian Tour events in India Hero Honda Masters and Indian Open -- in India for the last 4 years. This will be the concluding event of the 2003-04 season, so it is in some senses a sort of Tour Championships, but with a cut.

Five Indians with winnings of more than Rs. 8 lakhs each are in the race for the Order of Merit title. They are Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (Rs 8,50,365), Digvijay Singh, Vijay Kumar, Mukesh Kumar and Ashok Kumar (Rookie of the year last season).
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by BSharma »

Thanks for starting this thread for golfers playing on the Indian PGA. I have been following the Indian PGA for some time but have not posted about it because I was not sure how popular it would be. I think it is the right time for all of us to learn about the new and upcoming golfers.
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by golfan »

Yes this tournament looks interesting who are the other leading golfers in this tournament. Any of the guys who play on the Asian Tour? Rahil Gaganjee? Please do fill us in on who all will be there.

GF
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by Dhruv »

It looks like there is a lot of interest in golf. I should start a separate section for golf similar to tennis and football I guess. Give me a few days and that should be ready.

Lots of interest in Golf in India, and the local tournaments get a lot of news coverage as well. Good to see that. Golf though typically gets a lot of its sponsrship from big corporates and the like in the US and and Europe being the title sponsors and I seem to recall the same being the case in India with Wills Gold Flake
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by V Krishnaswamy »

Dhruv wrote:It looks like there is a lot of interest in golf. I should start a separate section for golf similar to tennis and football I guess. Give me a few days and that should be ready.
Dhruv,
Great idea abt separate section on golf -- though at some point, maybe one on chess will also be great (lots of events coming up) - which I shall mention sometime on chess thread elsewhere.

Joy and I will keep all informed on goings-on in Indian golf.

By the way you mentioned... Wills -- ITC has since pulled out of all sports because of ban on tobacco advertising. Hero Honda Motors, No. 1 manufacturers of two-wheelers in the world, are umbrella sponsors of Indian PGA Tour -- for last three years -- and lot else is happening in junior and amateur golf, too.

That will make for interesting stuff.
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by BSharma »

V Krishnaswamy,

Can you comment on the article Golf: Indian golf faces sponsorship crisis.
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PRIZE MONEY CONTROVERSY - REASONS FOR SHORTFALL

Post by V Krishnaswamy »

Bhushan,

As a self-imposed rule, I generally tried to avoid commenting on fellow journalists’ stories. Since we are in a discussion group, and with so many Indian pals outside India interested in this sport, I think a comment is in order.

Often scribes end up doing stories without assessing full facts and situations. I closely follow golf and am also journalist, so I think I am slightly better off.

1. Fact: Prize money indeed dipped.
2. It is indeed true that TSM fell short of Rs. 2 crores but for the first time in their five year tenure. Drop came in for reasons below.

Reasons
(a) Four events promised to TSM (Tiger Sports) by International Management Group (IMG) with Royal Challenge as sponsors were suddenly dropped as RC did not want to continue. Each event was Rs. eigth lakhs each (Rs. 32 lakhs gone). Since there were no penalty clauses, TSM could do little to IMG.
(b) Honda SIEL PGA Championships, an annual Rs. 25-30 lakh event got dropped as sponsors were not in a position to carry on the event, they had done for 10 years. (Rs. 25-30 lakhs gone)
(c) Hindustan Times, which had been doing at least three events (with a combined pruse of Rs. 20-22 lakhs) reduced it to just one event. Presumably HT facing cash crunch, and shifting focus from golf.
(d) Other events dropped include Dhaka Open (Rs. 18 lakhs) because their main course was being re-done; Telegraph Open (Rs. 10 lakhs); DHL Open (Rs. 10 lakhs) because the sponsors were pumping money in other areas.
(e) Some shortfall was made up as some new events came in and also prize money increased in events like Kashmir Open, Surya Nepal Open, etc. Plus the PGAI-TSM Open, paid for by TSM.

3. The news report you sent me concedes TSM's contribution to Indian golf as the tour began in 1996-97 with just a little over Rs 1 crore as prizemoney. That is indeed a fact and proof lies in the fact that five years no promoter or sports Management Company was picking up golf, and now there are several bidders.

4. Since the deal with PGAI was coming up for renewal, Nimbus -- another sports management company -- put up a bid of Rs. 3.05 crores as prize money for 2004-05. TSM, according to its agreement with PGAI, has the right to match.

5. INSIDE STUFF: Though it has not been officially announced, TSM is matching the offer and it will be made official as finer details of the new paper are worked out between TSM and PGAI.

6. UPCOMING STUFF: Junior golf and Amateur golf is going to get a better deal this year onwards as sponsorships are being worked out.
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Post by BSharma »

Thanks V Krishnaswamy for the clarification.

I am appreciative of the work that you and your company are doing to promote golf in India. For a long time I have felt that Indians can become world champions in golf, chess, billiards, and some other sports - events that require both body and mind.

Tiger Sports Marketing has taken the lead in India, and golf became the first sports in India to be managed and promoted properly.

Members, please check out IndianGolfTour.com
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A slight clarification

Post by V Krishnaswamy »

Bhushan,

A clarification. I am NOT employed by TSM nor am answerable for what they do.
I am consultant of sorts for the magazine, GOLFSTYLE, for which TSM have a content contract with the publishers.
Otherwise these guys are great pals of mine, with their heart in the right place. I have seen too many sports management companies, which are downright cut throat. And being golfers themselves, they have the interest of the game and its players at heart.
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Post by Dhruv »

Doen, and I tried to move topics around with some sort of sense but some might be a little misplaced
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Post by Kumar »

Dhurv, this is really good. I guess it will be little confusing to start with, but we will get used in time...
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PGAI-TSM Open this week in India

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PGAI-TSM OPEN

This week, PGAI-TSM Open, a Rs. 28 lakh event begins at the NOIDA Golf Club. NOIDA is a satellite town of Delhi and along with Gurgaon is one of the most sought after places. NOIDA has two good golf courses, while Gurgaon has about three full courses- all designer and two smaller nine hole facilities.

All top Indian players except Jeev, Jyoti, Arjun and Daniel will be there at the event, which runs from Tuesday to Friday.

In India, often pro events are played on weekdays, because clubs don't like giving the course for weekends, when their members are present in huge numbers.

The PGAI-TSM Open is the closing event of the of 2003-04 calendar. With five people having more than Rs. 8 lakhs the fight for Money list is tight.

New season will start in July-August.
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by golfan »

Mr Krishnaswamy

Thank you for the information Will there be an online leaderboard that we could follow?

_____
GF
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Post by V Krishnaswamy »

Unfortunately, there will be no online leaderboard. I will try and post scores at end of each day or ask Joy to do that.
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INDIAN PGA AND PRO GOLF IN INDIA-Airtel Masters Championship

Post by golfan »

Unfortunately, there will be no online leaderboard. I will try and post scores at end of each day or ask Joy to do that.
Thanks look forward to that

_____________
GF
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