New Delhi, Sep 5 (Representative) Professional Golf will mark its debut in Jammu as The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), official sanctioning body of professional golf in the country, along with Jammu & Kashmir Tourism, on Monday announced the second edition of the J&K Open, starting from September 7 – 10. The tournament will be held at the Jammu Tawi Golf Course in Jammu, and will carry a prize purse of Rs. 40 lakh. The Pro-Am event will be held on September 11. The tournament is part of J&K Tourism’s great initiative of promoting golf tourism in the region. J&K is blessed with some spectacular golf courses such as Royal Springs Golf Course (Srinagar), Pahalgam Golf Course (Lidder Valley), Gulmarg Golf Club and Jammu Tawi Golf Course. The top Indian professionals in the field include Olympian Udayan Mane, Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, defending champion Honey Baisoya, Manu Gandas, Karandeep Kochhar and Arjun Sharma, to name a few.The foreign challenge will be led by Sri Lankans Mithun Perera and N Thangaraja and Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain.
The local challenge will be led by J&K-based players including professionals Pawan Parihar, Fayaz Ahmed Langoo, Raghav Wahi, Pawan Parihar, Mohd Din Pode as well as amateurs Prabhnoor Singh, Vedant Handa and Zubair Hasan Zargar.Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, “The second edition of the J&K Open presented by J&K Tourism helps the PGTI expand its geographical footprint as we make our debut in the Jammu region of J&K. The tournament is in line with our long-term objective of promoting professional golf in different parts across the country in order to grow the sport further. A fascinating week of golf is in the offing as the professionals can expect a whole new set of challenges at a new venue, the Jammu Tawi Golf Course.”Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt. Governor J&Kashmir, said: “After a successful inaugural edition in the Kashmir Valley last year, we’re delighted to host the cream of Indian professional golf in the Jammu region this year as we look to promote golf and golf tourism in both regions of J&K.
I’m confident that the professionals will relish the experience of playing at the magnificent Jammu Tawi Golf Course.”Sarmad Hafeez, IAS, Secretary, Tourism & Youth Sevices and Sports, Government of J&K said: “We are proud to be supporting the J&K Open 2022, as Golf Tourism is an integral part of our larger objective to promote tourism in J&K. This maiden professional tournament at Jammu will bring Jammu Tawi Golf Course (JTGC) on the international golfing map with an opportunity for local talent to showcase their skills. Besides, this mega event is an opportunity to project J&K as a major hub for Golf Tourism in the country. “Manav Gupta, Secretary, Jammu Tawi Golf Course, said: “With J&K Open 2022, it is nothing less than something historic being done at Jammu Tawi Golf Course. Tourism and Golf has a long walk to do after this.” Jammu Tawi Golf Course, is an 18-hole course, designed by internationally renowned designer Col. K.D Bagga. It has fairways approximately 6600 meters in length, it has two big and three small water bodies and a water channel about 3200 meters long.