Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA) and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India, today announced the Golconda Masters Telangana Open 2021 Presented by Vooty & Haldi which will be held at the Hyderabad Golf Club (HGC) from September 2 - 5, 2021, and will carry a prize purse of Rs. 40 lakh. The Pro-Am event will be held on September 1.
The tournament which will witness participation by 129 golfers (123 professionals and six amateurs) is supported by Host Venue Hyderabad Golf Association, Presenting Partners Vooty Golf County and Haldi Golf County, Principal Partner Telangana Tourism, Associate Partners Incredible India and Skoda and Medical Partner Apollo Hospitals. The Government of Telangana has supported the event from its inception in 2015.
The top Indian professionals in the fray include Olympian and defending champion Udayan Mane (2018 & 2020 winner), PGTI Order of Merit leader Karandeep Kochhar, Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi, Viraj Madappa and Aman Raj as well as other leading players such as former champions Chikkarangappa S (2019 winner) and Harendra Gupta (2015 winner), to name a few. The foreign challenge will be led by the Bangladeshi duo of Md Zamal Hossain Mollah and Badal Hossain.
The local challenge will be led by Hyderabad-based players including professionals such as Haider Hussain, Mohd Azhar, Venkkat Gautham, Rupinder Singh Gill and Sanjay Kumar Singh as well as amateurs such as Hardik S Chawda, Tarun Ajay, Rahul Ajay, Tej Gangavarapu, Sankeerth Nidadavolu and Milind Soni.
K S Sreenivasa Raju, IAS, Secretary to Government of Telangana, Youth Advancement, Tourism & Culture Department, said “We are proud to be associated with the seventh edition of the Golconda Masters Telangana Open. The tournament provides us a great opportunity to highlight the tourism potential of the state of Telangana and the city of Hyderabad. The event also helps us showcase the magnificent Hyderabad Golf Club as a leading golfing destination tailormade for golf tourism being set against the backdrop of the historic and world-famous Golconda Fort. We wish the players all the best and look forward to an exciting contest.”
K Prithvi Reddy, CEO, Vooty Golf County & Haldi Golf County, said, “We are extremely delighted to associate with the PGTI’s Golconda Masters Telangana Open for the fourth year in succession. The tournament provides us a unique platform to showcase Vooty Golf County and Haldi Golf County as prime golfing destinations in Telangana. This event will go a long way in attracting the youth of Hyderabad and the rest of Telangana towards the sport of golf thereby creating a talent pool of golfers for the future.”
C Dayakar Reddy, President, HGA, said, “The Hyderabad Golf Association looks forward to hosting the seventh edition of the Golconda Masters Telangana Open. We're proud to say that the tournament launched at HGA in 2015 has today grown into one of the most important stops on the PGTI attracting some of the best professionals in the country. The outstanding playing conditions at the HGA will ensure an exhilarating week of golfing action. I wish the players all the best.”
Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, “We’re excited about resuming the 2020-21 TATA Steel PGTI season with the Golconda Masters Telangana Open 2021 Presented by Vooty & Haldi. As we get the tour back on track after a five month gap forced by the Pandemic, we are extremely thankful to Hyderabad Golf Association, Vooty Golf County, Haldi Golf County, Telangana Tourism, Incredible India, Skoda and Apollo Hospitals, for their kind cooperation and support towards our cause. The Golconda Masters Telangana Open has emerged as one of the most prestigious tournaments on the PGTI over the last seven years and we’re confident the event will continue to be a catalyst in helping grow the popularity of the sport in Telangana and will boost golf tourism in the state.”