Harinder eyes hat-trick in Hero Golf Chandigarh Open

Chandigarh, Apr 17 (UNI) As many as 111 golfers, including nine amateurs, have staked their claims for top honours in the annual Rs 12 lakh prize money Hero Golf Chandigarh Open, which tees off tomorrow at the sprawling Chandigarh Golf Course here.

The tournament forms the 16th leg of the Amby Valley PGAI Tour 2005-06 season.

Three foreigners, including Takayo Yashikawa of Japan, will be seen in action. Local lad 21-year-old Harinder Gupta will be eying for a hat-trick of victories in the annual competition, which offers a cash prize of Rs 189,840 to the winner and Rs 130,440 to the runner-up.

Apart from the caddie-turned professional Harinder Gupta, the strong field of competitors includes top players from the Amby Valley Order of Merit list for the current season. Leader Mukesh Kumar followed by S S P Chowrasia, Feroz Ali, Ashok Kumar and Vijay Kumar.

Chandigarh stars Jeev Milkha Singh, Harmeet Kahlon and Amandeep Johl will not be taking part because of their earlier commitments.

However, other players like Amritinder Singh, Gurbaaz Mann, K P S Sekhon and Uttam Singh Mundy are in the fray. The field also includes talented youngsters including leading rookie Vikrant Chopra, SRF Open Matchplay Championship Shamim Khan, Vinod Kumar and Amardip Malik.

The par-72, 7052-yard Chandigarh Golf Club is one of the best maintained golf courses of the country.

UNI XC HS PM RAI1601