The stars of the European Challenge Tour have been full of praise for the stunning lay-out and challenging nature of the Kensville Golf and Country Club, the prestigious host venue for the opening tournament of the 2013 season.
The Gujarat Kensville Challenge has grown and grown as one of the premiere tournaments on the Challenge Tour schedule since the inaugural tournament in 2011, which produced the first Indian winner in the history of the tour in Gaganjeet Bhullar.
The €200,000 event has since built a strong tradition as the perfect place to tee off the Challenge Tour season and this year has been no different, with beautiful sunny conditions and a fair but challenging course welcoming the players as they embark on another campaign chasing European Tour glory.
Rhys Davies, a winner on The European Tour at the 2010 Hassan Trophée II, returned to the Challenge Tour for the first time since making the breakthrough in a superb 2009 season as two wins helped him graduate to the top table.
The Welshman spoke of the intriguing challenge that Kensville Golf and Country Club provided.
He said: “It’s a really good course out here. There are a good variety of holes and you have to shape some of the tee shots because of the trees.
“There could be a bit of wind out there which should make it interesting and the greens are very firm, they are really quite bouncy so it’s hard to hold your iron shots into them and it makes the short game that much more tricky.”
It was Wallace Booth’s first journey to India this week and he is another player who has been loving the surroundings at Kensville Golf and Country Club on his first visit to India.
“I have loved it,” he said. “The place we’re at is absolutely amazing, I've loved the food so far. It is different but it’s nice to see another part of the world and a different culture and try and embrace it.
“It’s just nice that we have the opportunity to play here. It’s a great course, a good lay-out. It’s very tricky and you just have to be patient and plot your way around.”
Northern Irishman Gareth Shaw is another player visiting Indian shores for the first time and he has been revelling in the new experience.
“It’s my first time in India and I’m very impressed,” he said. “The course is good and very tricky around the greens.”
