Digboi, Assam, November 21: IndianOil and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) will jointly host the 18th edition of the IndianOil SERVO Masters Golf, the premier professional tournament of the North-Eastern region of India, from 22nd to 25th November, 2017, at the Digboi Golf Links.
The prize money for the tournament has been raised to an all-time high of Rs. 40 lakhs. The Pro-Am event will be held on 26th November.The field will feature a total of 83 players including 82 professionals and one amateur. The top 50 players and ties will make the cut after round two.
The field will feature some of India’s top professionals such as 2014 champion Shamim Khan and 2005 champion Harendra Gupta as well as M Dharma and rookie Karandeep Kochhar, to name a few.Australian Kunal Bhasin, the 2013 champion, will be leading the foreign challenge along with Bangladesh’s Md Zamal Hossain Mollah and South African Damian Naicker.
The local professionals in the field are Deven Bhumij, Deep Raj Chetia, Sunil Mura, Jai Kishan Naidu, Biren Karmakar and Dulal Kalowar while the only local amateur in the field is Sandeep Deb.
Mr. Mritunjoy Pramanik, Executive Director IOCL Assam Oil Division, remarked, “IndianOil SERVO Masters Golf, over the years, has earned a coveted position on the national Golf circuit and it is indeed heartening to note how golfers from India have evolved to match international standards. On behalf of Indian Oil Corporation Limited, I extend good wishes to all the participating golfers.”
Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, “Indian Oil Corporation’s commitment to the promotion of Indian professional golf is evident from the fact that the IndianOil SERVO Masters Golf is one of the longest running events on the Indian professional circuit. We thank the Indian Oil Corporation for increasing the prize purse of the tournament for the second year running. We are now into the last four events of the season and therefore expect a thrilling week of golf as players will be striving hard to improve their rankings in the PGTI Order of Merit.”
The venue, the picturesque Digboi Golf Links, is a golfer’s delight. The course is a one of its kind in terms of ambience as it is situated among the lush tea estates and thick forest of eastern Assam. The historic Digboi Golf Links is bordered by the Dehing Forest Reserve on three sides and the magnificent Patkai range of mountains on the fourth. This 72 par course with a yardage of 6329 could also be termed as the best in the north-eastern part of the country due to its magnificent layout.
