The Hindu : Sport / Golf : TSM Open will provide fitting finale to the season

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 27, 2004

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Sport - Golf

TSM Open will provide fitting finale to the season

NEW DELHI, MAY 26. A quality field, fighting for a share of Rs. 28 lakhs on offer in the PGAI-TSM Open, promises a fitting finale to the 2003-04 golf season.

The event will take place at the Noida Golf Club course from June 1 to 4. The richest prize money domestic event in three years carries a winner's cheque of Rs. 4,53,600. Even a 50th place is worth Rs. 12,800. What's more, the event will help decide the champion golfer of the season.

Presently, S. S. P. Chowrasia heads the Order of Merit with earnings of Rs. 8,85,365. Five other golfers — Digvijay Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Vijay Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Yusuf Ali — follow the leader in that order, after collecting over Rs. eight lakhs from the season. Still, a surprise winner of the tour cannot be ruled out.

Here is some more background about the event. The Tiger Sports Marketing, that holds the marketing rights of the domestic golf tour, has put this event together to partly offset the shortfall of Rs. 88 lakhs in the prize money promised for the season.

At the beginning of the season, TSM had promised the Professional Golfers Association of India (PGAI) a prize money of Rs. 2.50 crore on the domestic tour.

However, several title-sponsors withdrew at the last minute, leaving TSM with little time to find suitable replacements. TSM, having met its prize money targets in the last four years, is set to end up about Rs. 58 lakhs short this season.

Still, TSM President Brandon de Souza was optimistic. "The ever improving performances of the Indian golfers in international competitions promises to bring in more sponsors and bigger prize money in the coming season,'' he said. — Our Special Correspondent

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