The Hindu Open tees off today

CHENNAI, AUG. 7. A new season, a new Tour sponsor, a bunch of new young professionals. Things are changing, really, on the Indian golf scene.

In the fast changing world of sport, nothing remains the same. Except some things - like The Hindu Open, which tees off the golf Tour each year.

From the very beginning, two decades ago, The Hindu Open has been one of the first events on the Tour, but over the last few years it has been the very first, the one in which the top players are keen to play themselves in after a long break.

This year's event, carrying a prize money of Rs. 7.5 lakhs - the winner takes Rs. 1,21,500 - begins on Wednesday and it features almost all the top performers in the sport in this country, barring a handful such as Jeev Milkha Singh, who hardly plays in the domestic Tour.

The cast includes Vijay Kumar - on a hattrick after two successive victories in The Hindu Open - Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Ganapathy, Shiv Prakash, Rohtas Singh, Ali Sher, Feroz Ali and Harmeet Kahlon.

``We are very happy that the first tournament of the season is being played on the Cosmo-TNGF course. We have done our best to keep the course in top condition. We are thankful to The Hindu for supporting the event yet again,'' said Mr. S. Ramamurthy, associate secretary, TNGF and the tournament director, at a press conference on Monday night.

Mr. Ramamurthy said the course was in prime condition and several adjustments have been made on it to make it more attractive. ``Experienced players too, will have to adjust to the changes suitably if they are to return good scores,'' he said.

Mr. R. Gandhi, president, Cosmopolitan Club, also pointed to the improvements carried out on the course. ``We are planning to spend a few crores over the next few years on this course. This is a big event and I hope it gets even bigger,'' he said.

Over the years, several top players have enjoyed playing on the course and it should be no different this year. The greens are in good shape but the fairways might pose a problem or two over the four days.

``This is not only the first event on the Tour but one

of the finest,'' said Brandon D'Souza, president, Tiger Sports Marketing, the Hero Honda Tour's events manager. ``Golf offers the maximum prize money for any domestic Tour in this country,'' he said.

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Section  : Sport
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