Kolkata, February 2, 2009: The Aircel-Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) has announced the PGTI Players Championship at Tollygunge Golf Club which will be played in Kolkata from 3-6 February, 2008. This event boasts a prize money of Rs. 30 lakh.

This is the first leg of the 2009 PGTI Players Championship, an annual series of four events launched in the 2007-08 season, wherein each zone of the country (north, west, east and south) hosts one event every season.

The sports-crazy city of Kolkata is set to bear witness to a fascinating contest as all the prominent names of Indian professional golf will be vying for top honours at the tournament. The stellar field will include Mukesh Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Shamim Khan, Rahul Ganapathy, Harendra Gupta, Arjun Singh and Harmeet Kahlon, to name a few. Former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja is also set to make his debut as a professional golfer at this event.

Air Commodore K B Menon (Retd), Chief Executive and Managing Member, Tollygunge Club , said, “The Tollygunge Club is hosting a professional golf tournament after a gap of about eight years and we are really looking forward to the event. The Aircel-PGTI’s initiative will certainly provide a boost to professional golf in Kolkata.”

Established in 1895, the Tollygunge Club, often referred to as the Tolly, is home to a magnificent 18-hole course. This course is also known as the Garden Course and is lush green, challenging and features a number of water hazards. The tree-lined fairways are wide while the greens are small, forcing the players to be accurate with their iron-play. The Tolly has also been one of the nurseries of Indian golf over the decades having produced many top class professionals.

Mr. Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said, “We are grateful to the Tollygunge Club for partnering with us in staging this tournament. PGTI members are excited about playing at one of India’s premier championship venues after a long gap. This tournament is a result of our commitment to explore new venues and provide a variety of playing conditions to our professionals.”