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Kolkata Challenge 2024 marks return of an international event to Kolkata after 25 years
• The Challenge Tour & TATA Steel PGTI co-sanctioned event to offer prize purse of US$ 300,000
• Field to be highlighted by Indian stars Arjun Atwal, SSP Chawrasia, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Om Prakash Chouhan, Manu Gandas, Rashid Khan and Challenge Tour stars John Parry, Mikael Lindberg, Björn Åkesson, Martin Couvra, Lucas Bjerregaard
Kolkata, March 19, 2024: The European Challenge Tour, TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) jointly launched the inaugural Kolkata Challenge.
The tournament co-sanctioned by the Challenge Tour and the TATA Steel PGTI, carries a prize purse of US$ 300,000 and constitutes the second event in the two-week Indian swing of the Challenge Tour.
The event to be played at the historic RCGC in Kolkata from March 21 – 24, 2024, marks the return of an international event to Kolkata and the RCGC after a long gap of 25 years.
The Indian contingent will be led by legends Arjun Atwal and SSP Chawrasia, both playing at their home course. Interestingly, Arjun Atwal, a PGA Tour and three-time DP World Tour winner, won the last international event to be staged at RCGC, the 1999 Indian Open. Olympian SSP Chawrasia, a four-time DP World Tour winner, was the joint runner-up at the 1999 Indian Open.
The other Indian stars in the field include DP World Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar, Challenge Tour winner and 2023 TATA Steel PGTI Ranking champion Om Prakash Chouhan, current TATA Steel PGTI Ranking leader Manu Gandas, Rashid Khan, Olympian Udayan Mane, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, Chikkarangappa and Karandeep Kochhar, to name a few.
The leading names from the Challenge Tour in the field include Road to Mallorca Ranking Number One John Parry of England, Mikael Lindberg and Björn Åkesson from Sweden, France’s Martin Couvra and Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard, to name a few.
Mr. Gaurav Ghosh, Captain, RCGC, said, “We are proud to host the Kolkata Challenge, an international event at RCGC, after 25 years. We welcome all the overseas and PGTI players.”
Jamie Hodges, Challenge Tour Director, said, “It’s great to be in Kolkata for the first time in the Challenge Tour’s history. After an outstanding week in Delhi, we’re delighted to be here for the second of back-to-back events in the country and to be working closely once again with our friends at the PGTI.
“The historic venue of Royal Calcutta Golf Club is the perfect setting for four days of competition between some of the best golfing talent from the PGTI and Europe.
“These events are crucial in the early part of our season, to ensure playing opportunities for our members at a time when it’s difficult for us to play in most of Europe. It’s going to be an exciting week.”
Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, “We thank the Challenge Tour and RCGC for partnering with us in launching the Kolkata Challenge. The excitement is palpable for golf fans in Kolkata as an international tournament returns to the sports-loving city and to the iconic RCGC, one of the traditional centres and nurseries of Indian golf, for the first time since 1999. We’re confident the event will go a long way in re-establishing RCGC as a major venue for international events.
“There will be a strong Indian presence with the PGTI’s top names as well as Indian greats Arjun Atwal and SSP Chawrasia being a part of the field. We look forward to seeing Indian players making an impact in this second leg of the lucrative two-week Indian swing of the Challenge Tour. We wish the players all the best.”
The world-renowned Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC), affectionately known as the ‘Royal’, is steeped in history, as it is the oldest golf club outside of the British Isles, having been established in 1829. It is widely regarded as the founder of the game in the country and has staged some of the most prestigious tournaments on Indian soil, including the Indian Open and the All-India Amateur Championship. The 7014-yard course favours long hitters and inaccurate shots are punished severely. The large number of water hazards makes this course a real challenge to master.
And the second year we’ve worked together um and I’m delighted with the progress uh that we’ve made um and we’re excited about what the future may hold uh our members aspire to play at the very top of professional goal and these events give them the opportunity to understand uh really what it takes
And what it means to be a global go from and the last two weeks are a great example of that two different very two very different challenges two very different conditions two different two very different tests um and that preparation and that training that they will experience here
Will stand them in great set for whatever the future may bring and as they hope to all progress to the higher stages of world golf the challenge tour Pathway to the DP World Tour is available to to everyone playing this week challenged to member or pgti member and I I hope I
Don’t speak on of SSP and arent when I say that if if that had been available to the two of them at the start of their careers that would have been an amazing opportunity for them to have had just lastly I’d like to thank rcgc Mor Captain um and know all of your
Members for hosting us this week first of all the hospitality and the welcome we received has been truly special it’s actually a real honor and pleasure to welcome Challenge and uh are Indian DS to interestingly this is the after 25 years we are hosting an International
Event 99 was the last Indian open and I’m actually quite tough to say that the winner and Runners up are both sitting in the podium here how old we are 25 years ago Arjun won the Indian open and SS finish second it was truly an inspirational story then because both of
Them were for from Royal gakara Golf Club at that time and it’s actually uh it’s quite an honor to have both of them playing this event and uh for me personally because I’m close to both of them and uh after 25 years to do it in under my captaincy is is quite an
Achievement on the golf course um we have evolved we and this will be actually truly a test because we are hosting an international referend after such a long time and it would be uh interesting for us to see how it sort of plays out against the poity of players
That are playing this week uh We’ve hosted many domestic events in the past but uh this is truly a test which we want to see how it evolves I would like to thank both the challeng to again and uh Kar and the pgti for bringing this this tournament to us we are truly
Honored first of all I’m uh really glad to be home you know this is home this is where I started Golf first time I a golf ball was the club and you know with him talking about the 1999 Indian open child sitting here both of us you
Know just uh it’s great M first of all you know it took me back in time when we were young and had hair and all that stuff but uh no just really it’s a pleasure to be back home you know I’m glad uh my kids convinced me that you
Know we need to come to India um and it just so happened at this G was this this week where I was going to be home visiting my brother and I got you know I got really excited about playing I I know I’m probably the oldest man in the
Field uh so so expect expectations are low but we’ll see what happens you know uh we’ll see I mean the thing is there’s there’s a thing to be said about experience as well so you know I I know every corner of this golf course um I’ve
Hit it everywhere go course so you know I that’s an advantage but yeah the new T boxes some of the holes being lengthened you know it’ll uh it’ll be challenging but you know I I’ll be all right I think you great to have in the field this week go to
SSP um as if you tell us how the last year has been and how you’re picking up uh uh picking up the flow in this part of the early in the year what are your plans are you playing much in India are you playing overseas and how’s your form
Coming to this week uh last year I would play Asia and this year I’m already planning to play Asia so we’ll see because I’m playing good now what I feel so and this week very special for me happen my so I’m looking forward to so
See what do you remember of that time I was like 18 years old I could remember so many but yes I was like uh when I was finished second I was like I said wow I don’t know what’s going on you know like everything was
Shing for me but yeah it was a great time and I was play good so and my careers changed from there so it’s just good I was looking up the Indian open the history of the indan open four rups before you want to yes I I was pH for
Runner and first year was here and then uh last 3 years in B the yeah what have you played the course what do you think of the course and what have you heard about how this week is going to be on the golf course um the golf course is amazing thanks to
Everyone invol for putting the event up it’s it’s a great test it’s an amazing cause it’s way different from last week if I make compare um it’s it’s tight of the T you know as might not agree CU every last time I hit I played with him
He was hitting every Fairway so I think is no really understanding what I’m talking about at the moment um but for me it’s TI it’s it’s a great test you have to really think your way around the course it’s in great condition SCS are perfect and um yeah Really Cred I don’t see why thinkc as AR since this is a Olympic here how do you see the chances of Indian players qualifying for the Olympics and what do you think about aiti a aiti that she she she stumbled in the 17th round 17th hole aiti last time during this Olympics what what do you think about her Improvement
And what chances of shanka Sharma is in a higher ranking State okay so I I think we we have a really good chance in the Olympics uh shanka obviously is a great player and I’ve got to know a few of the youngsters now who coming up from India
And they I think they’re all really really good and getting to your question about adti I’ve met her once and I follow career as well she’s a help of player you know she’s not very long off the be but she hits it really straight and um finishing which four fourth of
The last should Inspire her that you know I mean one shot here and there and she’s in the metal you know so I think she’s going to do great things and even D sh dager uh I met n this now for the first time and she really impresses me
As well she seems like a very Fearless girl and I would think that those two would be a medal Defenders at the Olympics and what about I haven’t seen I don’t really have’t watched much their golf but I know he’s playing well there uh but they don’t get
Any world ranking points so I don’t know how he would make the Olympics you know so unless he’s getting world ranking points so you have to ask what what he’s doing do you think the olypic qualification should be you know revalued it’s a that’s a funny question
Because uh there’s a lot of controversy going on right now about the world ranking points and all that stuff you know and I’m trying to stay away from it so I really don’t I don’t really know how the Olympics would include world ranking points or no world ranking
Points it would be a tough uh situation for them as well to put them in that situation yeah I I I don’t know I mean I think everybody should just get together and come to a conclusion that you know we got to make this work together cuz I
Have a lot of friends on the live tour as I have a lot of friends on the DJ tour and the Europe door and the senior door and you bfy someone you know because they’re playing a different door or not I don’t I don’t I don’t like the
Politics of it and I don’t like to get involved in it I just wish everybody would get together and come out with a solution that’s it so based on the rankings Gul and suar they stand brightest to qualify so what do you see the chances for the Olympics very good
They’re both great Bears I mean they’re Proven Winners they’ve G on the big stage I think what 19 wins on the Asian or something uh I think more than 10 12 12 Asian T wins he wins almost almost every year and shanga is playing really well as well so Great
British Open last year so you know they’re not afraid you know they they get it going cuz you know golf is is a sport where you have to like the golf course that week you have to be on so if they on they can definely as you have
Played in one minute as you have played in Paris you have played in Paris so which course in India is similar to that course in Paris so that they may practice here which one which which course in Paris play The Go national uh that’s that’s a
Really tough golf course I mean I don’t know how you would compare that to this that’s that’s really really you know Tough Golf and uh it’s hard to compare DOL Coes like that you know this is an old very traditional Tre line uh golf course you know and here it’s
It’s about hitting Fairways and you know just being patient with yourself because there’s only two po fives and you know the young modern players like part FES cuz they eat them from breakfast so uh this one you know you need to be patient a little bit completely you cannot uh compare the
Two so I think uh the golf is totally mental game so you have to be uh super strong yourself like always you say inside you know you are very positive and all but yeah ad she was playing F I think because of the last round she play
Bad so uh could be she could handle the pressure and all but this happen it’s very normal thing but I think uh in future if you look at last uh sorry if you look at last 5 6 7even years or 10 years uh Indian players are growing a
Lot I think and next next 10 years I would say small players playing internationally and of course Olympic and and all so more more our players will participate the chances of Medal winning will come you have to play more tournament we have to play more tournament get the world
Ranking point and through that give after concentation anything like that yes yes yes because do yoga or something like that yeah I do I do actually Yoga Yoga meditation and of course uh golf related exercise also different compared to the normal exercises so and I think uh I’m
Myself I do all these things so I think uh if any upcoming players they follow all this things do the meditation yoga and C related exercise I think it’s help a lot
