Indian Golf Premier League takes shape

The Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) took concrete shape on Tuesday, with the on-boarding of star cricketer Yuvraj Singh as co-owner and brand ambassador.

The IGPL is scheduled to be hosted for three weeks, featuring six teams of 10 players each, including women professionals, on a home and away basis in January-February next year.

Manav Jain, director IGPL, interacted with the media along with golfers Gaganjeet Bhullar and Jyoti Randhawa. He announced that there would be 10 tournaments in three-day format, without a cut, in multiple cities from September to December this year, as a prelude to the IGPL.

“This league will serve as a launch pad for many young players. Golf is an expensive sport. There will be serious prize money to win from the league, and it will help players to compete in qualifying events. The guidance from professionals will be invaluable, as pro golf is a lot more than just playing golf,” said Randhawa.

The league will also feature experienced stars like Jeev Milkha Singh, Shiv Kapur, Gaurav Ghei, S.S.P. Chawrasia, serving as captains and mentors.

“I love playing team competitions. I have been looking forward to this for a long time. It is a great idea for men and women to compete as one team,” said Bhullar.

“It will be great to mentor the next generation of golfers like Kartik Singh. In the first two months, there are not many international events, and it should not be an issue to find the right dates for all of us to compete in the IGPL.”

Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO of IGPL, said that the event would also go global in the first year itself, suggesting the inclusion of international players in the scheme of things.

The IGPL has partnered with the Indian Golf Union (IGU) and the Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI).

The organisers said that they would announce more details about teams, prize money etc. in due course of time.