Dhaka: The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India, returns to Bangladesh after a four-year gap with the launch of the BTI Open which will be held at the picturesque Kurmitola Golf Club (KGC) in Dhaka from March 30 – April 2, 2016, and will carry a prize purse of INR 35 lakhs.
The tournament, PGTI’s highest prize money event in Bangladesh till date, will feature some of the top names of the Indian sub-continent. The Indian challenge will be led by the likes of Feroz Ali Mollah, Shamim Khan, Udayan Mane and Ajeetesh Sandhu, to name a few. The Bangladesh duo of two-time Asian Tour winner Md Siddikur Rahman and Md Zamal Hossain Mollah will lead the charge for the host nation while Sri Lanka will also be well-represented by the trio of N Thangaraja, Anura Rohana and K Prabagaran.
This is a 72-hole stroke-play tournament featuring a field of 126 players where the cut will be applied after the first 36 holes. The top 50 players and ties will make the halfway cut and continue to play for another 36 holes.
Mr. Arshi Haider, Chairman, BTI Holdings Ltd and President BPGA, said that he is pleased with the progress of golf in Bangladesh. “We have come a long way in the last few years. This season Bangladesh is hosting two international golfing events. The Bashundhara Open was a phenomenal success and now we are also hoping to have another very successful tournament with PGTI. BTI has been actively promoting golf in Bangladesh for many years. We not only sponsor professional golf but also support the Bangladesh national golf team.”
Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI, said, “We are delighted to return to Bangladesh with a PGTI event after four years. Bangladesh has emerged as an important centre for golf in recent years which is reflected in the rise of Md Siddikur Rahman as one of Asia’s leading players. The beginning of our new partnership with BTI provides us a great opportunity to give further impetus to professional golf in Bangladesh. We expect to witness an enthralling week of golf in Dhaka as the professionals look forward to teeing it up at the world-class Kurmitola Golf Club.”
The venue for the tournament, the Kurmitola Golf Club (KGC) was established in the mid-1950s and moved to its present site a decade later. The KGC is Bangladesh’s premier championship course and has staged many international events. The course known for its tree-lined fairways and plenty of intimidating water hazards is likely to pose a serious challenge to the professionals.
