Leading pros form new Golf body, will have own tour

New Delhi, Oct 10 (UNI) In a far reaching move, over 90 professionals including Jyoti Randhawa and Gaurav Ghei today launched Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and declared that it will have a domestic tour of around Rs eight crores from this season.

PGTI is an organisation by the players and for the players, said Gaurav Ghei, adding that top players like Arjun Atwal and Jeev Milkha Singh have lent their full support to it and have committed to play in domestic tournamnts.

PGTI, to be headed by leading industralist Gautam Thapar, has already secured sponsorship worth Rs 3.3 crores for six tournaments and is hopeful that the money for the season will go up to Rs seven to eight crores.

The PGTI will have nothing to do with Profesional Golf Association of India (PGAI)and the Tiger Sports Managment, said Jyoti Randhawa.

''We waited for long to get the things right, but nothing happened. In fact we were betrayed by the PGAI and the TSM,'' Randhawa said, adding ''I feel they were not doing the right things.'' Randhawa alleged that while PGAI/TSM used to promise Rs 3.4 crores for the tour but actually paid only Rs 2.4 crores.

''We have already got Rs 3.3 cores for six tounaments and we hope to conduct around 20 cmpetition in the season,'' he said.

With leading players coming forward to form their own body '''to protect their own intrests and promote he game in the country'' this move is likely to have casacading effects on other sporting disciplines.

Ghei said he was confident of PGTI's success saying ''It is players' body. We will work for the promotion of the game in the country. We don't have any hidden agenda.'' He made it clear that all those who want to be members of PGTI will have to quit the PGAI/TSM.

Asked about golfers who are still with PGAI, Ghei said, ''We will welcome all the players who want to be part of the PGTI. Though I have not talked to them, Mukesh Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Vijay Kumar are champion golfers and I don't think they will like to sit out when the tour is on.'' ''There can't be two tours in the country and I hope the players (with PGAI) will realise it. We have not shut doors on anybody but we have nothing to do with PGAI.

''We expect lot of new sponsors for the tour and every sponsor has to be with us for not less then three years. That is a condition.'' Ghei asserted that PGTI has full support of the Asian Tour as well as of the Indian Golf Union (IGU).

Uttam Mundy was of the view that the future of Indian golf lies with the players. But added that ''it is the unity amongst the players that will take this game to a new level.'' The PGTI President will be assisted by a Vice-President and a Board of Directors. The board consists of Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur, Rahil Gangjee, Uttam Mundy, SSP Chowrasia, Ranjit Singh, Digvijay Singh, Amritinder Singh.

The Professional Golf Tour of India will kick-off with the BILT Open for a total purse of Rs 60 lakh in the last week of this month and the first quarter of the schedule will be released shortly.

It will consist of tournaments like the Rs 20-lakh Tata Open in Jamshedpur, Rs 50-lakh Papers Worldwide (Chennai), Rs 60-lakh Asahi Glass (Delhi), Rs 70-lakh Crompton Greaves (Mumbai) and Rs 60-lakh Solaris Open (Bangalore).

UNI