The Gujarat Kensville Challenge is back for a second year at the Kensville Golf and Country Club from January 26 to 29, with Indian European Tour star Jyoti Randhawa, defending champion Gaganjeet Bhullar and promising young American Peter Uihlein already included in the field.
The tournament will be played over the pristine Kensville Golf and Country Club, which is a Jeev Milkha Singh ‘Signature’ course, and will feature a 114-man field, who will all battle it out for the €200,000 prize fund.
India’s leading golfer for more than a decade now, Milkha Singh attended a Press Conference this week to announce the event and said: “Such events will give Indian golf a huge boost as our professionals battle it out with the up and coming European players.”
The 2011 staging of the event was the first European Challenge Tour event to be held in India, and was won by India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, who beat off a strong challenge to take the winner’s cheque of €32,000.
Bhullar is set to return to defend his title and whilst this will undoubtedly be a huge draw, just as much of interest to the local golfing enthusiasts and the wider golfing world will be the professional debut of another much-awaited name.
Peter Uihlein, a 22 year old American, has been referred to as one of the most exciting up and coming talents in golf after making the cut at The 2011 Open Championship and has chosen to launch his pro career at the Gujarat Kensville Challenge.
Uihlein had a glittering amateur career, twice voted America’s top junior player and retaining the World’s No 1 Amateur spot for 52 weeks from June 2010 during which time he won the prestigious 2010 US Amateur Championship.
He is hoping to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Thomas Bjorn (1995), Henrik Stenson (2000), Johan Edfors (2003), Marc Warren (2005), David Horsey (2008) and Edoardo Molinari (2009), who won the European Challenge Tour Order of Merit and have gone on to become big stars on the European and World golfing stages.
“We are delighted to be staging The Gujarat Kensville Challenge 2012, the second year of our commitment to bring world-class golf to India and Gujarat in particular,” said Sameer Sinha, Managing Director of the KGCC and Director of The Savvy Group, the tournament’s sponsor and promoter.
“Last year’s event was a great success and, with Gaganjeet Bhullar winning, it was a great advert for the development of Indian golf at the top professional level.
“We are very excited about this year’s event with the introduction of the Qualifying Round to further expand opportunities for local players and the strength of the field.
“It is no better testament to the event’s increasing pedigree than to have last year’s champion return to defend his title and a prodigious talent like Peter Uihlein choose to launch his professional career at Kensville.”
Bhullar became the first Indian to win a European Challenge Tour event, having already won twice on the Asian Tour, and is seen as one of India’s brightest young golf stars.
“I am looking forward to defending the title and give the year a good start,” said the 23 year old, who recorded early year victories in both 2010 and 2011 and will be hoping to start 2012 off in similar fashion.
The event is co-sanctioned by the European Challenge Tour and the Indian domestic Tour, the Professional Golf Tour of India.
Alain de Soultrait, Director of the European Challenge Tour, said: “We are delighted to be returning to Ahmedabad for the second edition of the Gujarat Kensville Challenge, after the success of the inaugural tournament last year. The warm welcome we received from our hospitable hosts complemented the beautifully presented course at Kensville Golf Club, which drew widespread praise from our Members. With golf’s popularity increasing all the time in India, there is no better place to start our 2012 campaign.”
Mr Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said: “The Gujarat Kensville Challenge has helped raise the profile of Indian professional golf. We at the PGTI are excited to host the second edition of the event along with the European Challenge Tour and the Kensville Golf & Country Club. This tournament is in sync with PGTI’s core objective of maximizing playing opportunities for Indian professionals. The event not only offers international exposure to Indian professionals and enhances the country’s reputation as a host for international golfing events but also showcases yet another world-class golf course in India.”
A field of 114 players will tee up for the event – 60 from the European Challenge Tour, 48 from the PGTI and 6 Sponsor Invites. Of the six Sponsor spots, three will be filled by the top finishers in a unique Qualifying Round to be held at the Noida Golf Course on Wednesday, 4th January for PGTI members not already in the main tournament draw.
Among other leading Indians expected to tee off will be former Asian Tour No 1 Randhawa; Himmat Rai, winner of the 2011 ISPS Handa Singapore Classic; and Chiragh Kumar, winner of the 2011 PGTI Order of Merit.
The par-72 Kensville Golf and Country Club is 7,250 yards long and was hugely appreciated by the professionals last year. The European Challenge Tour event heralded the arrival of big time golf to Gujarat, which has showcased itself as a big investment destination.
