From Our Correspondent
DIGBOI, Nov 15: The 17th Indian Oil Servo Masters Golf 2016 commences from Wednesday here at the historic Digboi Golf Links being organized under the aegis of the professiol Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and hosted by AOD Digboi.
Addressing the media here at the office of the Golf Links, Sampath Chari, the Tourment Director PGTI, told that the field boasts of some of india’s professiols such as Rolex Rankings former Champion Shamim Khan, Shankar Das (3 times champion), Mukesh Kumar (6 times Champion), Rookie Udayan Mane, Harendra Gupta and Om Prakash Chouhan, Amardip Sinh Malik, Digvijay Singh, M Dharma and Anura Roha all being the multiple Winners on the PGTI.
The field would feature a total 97 players including 93 professiols and four amateurs. The top fifty 50 players and ties would make a cut after round two.
Meanwhile, the local professiols in the field are Deben Bhumiz, Biren Karmakar, Bipon Mura, Jackson idu and Kishore Kumar Talukdar. Both the amateurs in the field, Deep Raj Chetia and Zakir Hussain hail from Digboi.
Thanking the IOC AOD for partnering the PGTI in staging the much prestigious tourment beside keeping the prize purse of the tourment handsome at 35 lakh, Chari said, “ The IndianOil Servo Masters Golf, has over the years, played a pivotal role in promoting professiol golf in the North-Eastern region of the country. We look forward to a fasciting week of golf as the leading Indian professiols tee it up at the serene Digboi Golf Links.”
However, Bhagawati, the General Mager HR AOD and Chairman of the organizing committee, said that promotion of sports by Indian Oil is aimed at providing opportunities for stable sports career. Highlighting the beauties of the landscape located amidst prestine location surrounded by lofty hills on its three sides, he added that the course was quite ready and the golfers would enjoy to the fullest making the event a memorable one besides promoting the sports cause of the organization. He added that to add a new feature to the tourment, the champion trophy has been designed locally employing local talents blended with local features and taste.
Meanwhile talking to The Sentinel, a highly placed official at AOD told that the Indian Oil has been striving seriously and promoting the cause of various sports items including cricket, football, chess, badminton etc. On various fronts for different age groups to encourage the deserving talents and escalate them to the professiol intertiol are to bring laurals for the Indian oil and tion as a whole.
Meanwhile, HS Dutta the General Mager (TS & HSE ) Indain Oil remarked,“ The 17th Edition of IndainOil Servo Masters Golf Tourment in Digboi is a matter of pride for us and reiterates Indain Oil's commitment to the promotion of sports in the country . IndianOil id driven with zeal to care and serve for its communities in diverse ways and encouraging young sporting talent in Indian sports is a significant area of our association.” Meanwhile, the top golfers of the PGTI Merit List are participating making it 97 players in all from different corners of the country including the intertiol golfers from abroad like Australia is vying for the Mastership 2016 and with the prize purse of the tourment being 35 lakh, more of the professiols are expected to find way into the tourment making it a finest episode ever played and tougher for the contenders.
However, the prize money of the tourment includes 15 percent for the winner amounting to Rs 5,25,000, 10 percent for the second amounting to Rs.3,50,000 while 5.998 and 4.998 percentages for the third and the fourth position holder at Rs. 2,09,930 and Rs. 1,74,930 respectively. The tourment slated to be iugurated on 16th morning would conclude with Pro- AM event slated on November 19.
It may be added here that the venue, the picturesque Digboi Golf Links, is a golfer’s delight. The course is a one of its kind in terms of ambience as it is situated among the lush tea estates and thick forest of eastern Assam. The historic Digboi Golf Links is bordered by the Dehing forest reserve on three sides and the magnificent Patkai range of mountains on the fourth. This 72 par course with a yardage of 6329 could also be termed as the best in the north-eastern part of the country due to its magnificent layout.