Five
Major winners Clarke, Cabrera, Campbell, Micheel and Beem to tee-off in an
innovative
franchisee-based
Pearls Golf Premier League
·
Teams to play for $ 400,000 in
prize money
·
Major champions, global stars
to compete with top Asian and Indians in a new team concept
·
Pearls GPL to be held at
world-class Aamby Valley City Golf course
New Delhi, January
18: A
totally new and unique city and franchised based Golf League will see a bunch
of Major champions and a host of top European, Asian and Indian stars come
together for the inaugural edition of the Pearls
Golf Premier League (PGPL), a pioneering concept in golf.
No
less than five Majors Champions will for the first time compete on Indian soil.
Never before have so many Major winners come for a single event in India. The five
champions, who between them have won six Majors, besides a host of European and
Asian Tour titles, will tee off alongside Gen Next stars of Asia and the PGTI
in a concept that brings together players from various international Tours
across the world.
The
event will be played on a stroke-play-cum-best-ball format over three days.
The
Pearls Golf Premier League is a
brainchild of India’s leading pro golfer Shiv
Kapur, a regular on European and Asian Tours, and Neeraj Sareen, a former top-flight amateur golfer.
The
Pearls Golf Premier League will be
held under the banner of Sportsmantra with players having been released by the
Asian and the PGTI Tours.
THE STARS
THE INTERNATIONAL
LEGENDS:
The
Major champions, who have confirmed for the event are Angel Cabrera (US Open in 2007 and Masters in 2009), Darren Clarke (2011 British Open
winner), Michael Campbell (US Open
in 2005), Shaun Micheel (PGA
Championships in 2003) and Rich Beem
(PGA Championships in 2002).
Also
confirming their participation are Simon
Dyson, a former Asian tour Order of Merit winner in 2000 and multiple
champion on European and Asian Tours, long-hitting Johan Edfors, a multiple winner on European Tour, and David Howell, the winner of the
inaugural WGC-HSBC Champions, when he beat Tiger Woods.
THE
INTERNATIONAL INDIANS:
The
International Indians will comprise
of players playing on various international Tours. They include the likes of
four-time Asian tour winner, Gaganjeet
Bhullar, former Volvo Masters of Asia champion, Shiv Kapur. Also in the list
of Indian Internationals, is Daniel
Chopra, of Swedish-Indian parentage. A two-time PGA Tour winner, Chopra
played golf in India in his formative years. The field also includes Anirban Lahiri and Himmat Rai, also an Asian Tour winner in 2011. The International
Indians line-up also includes Chiragh
Kumar, the 2011 Order of Merit winner on Indian PGTI Tour.
ASIAN
SUPERSTARS:
Thaworn
Wiratchant,
the 2012 winner of the Asian Tour Order of Merit and holder of the record for
most Asian Tour titles, and Chapchai
Nirat, who holds the world record for the lowest four-round total of
32-under recorded in India a few years ago, will lead the starcast from the
Asian Tour. The top eight available stars from the Order of Merit, as at the
end of the 2012 season, will be eligible. Also confirming their participation
are Australian Scott Hend, winner of
the ‘Long Drive’ statistic on PGA Tour in 2005, and two-time Asian Tour winner,
Jason Knutzon.
Multiple
winner on European Tour, Jarmo Sandelin,
who has also played on Ryder Cup team, and now playing in Asia, will also
feature in the event.
INDIAN STARS:
The
top PGTI professionals, who have been confirmed include Shamim Khan and Rashid Khan,
the No. 1 and 2, from the PGTI Order of Merit for 2012, besides three-time
Asian Tour winner, the seasoned Gaurav
Ghei. Former PGTI Tour Order of Merit winner, Ashok Kumar, and multiple winner on PGTI Tour, Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera, have also confirmed
their participation.
Interestingly,
the field includes the last three PGTI Order of Merit winners – Ashok Kumar (2010), Chiragh Kumar (2011) and
Shamim Khan (2012).
WHERE WILL IT BE HELD?
·
The
event will be held at the world-class Aamby
Valley Golf Course in Aamby Valley City in Maharashtra with a purse of $4,00,000 USD from the 7th -10th of
February 2013. The Aamby Valley Golf Course,
which nestles in the Sahyadri Hills is easily reachable from Mumbai by
road. It is 25 km south-west of Lonavala, near Pune. A designer course, it has
played host to various international and Indian pro events, besides corporate
events.
·
Part
of the Aamby Valley City, it has
state-of-the-art Golf Academy and other sporting facilities.
·
The
Course
is just under 7,100 under from black tees and plays to par of 72
WHAT DO THEY PLAY FOR?
·
The
winning team will walk away with a quarter of a million USD (about Rs. 1.35 crores)
·
There
will also be $ 25,000 available in a Charity
Skills Challenge
HOW DOES IT WORK?
·
The
event, which will become an annual affair, will feature eight franchises with teams
of four golfers each.
·
Each
team will comprise four players, one each drawn from a pool of Internationals, Indian Internationals (Indians playing on various Internationals
Tours), Asian Tour (top eight available
players from 2012 Order of Merit) and PGTI
Tour (top eight available players from the 2012 Order of Merit).
·
There
will be an auction for the Internationals
and the Indian Internationals later
this month.
·
There
will be a cap on how high the bids can go.
·
Part
of the proceeds will go for a Charity
WHO OWNS THEM?
One
of the eight franchise owners/ principals is the former Sri Lankan captain, Mahela Jayawardene, a very keen golfer,
who will head the Colombo Sixers. The
principals for the franchisees, which have taken ownership of the teams are:
- The Delhi Darts (Mr. Madhav Dhar)
- The Gujarat Underdawgs (Mr. Munish Patell)
- The Colombo Sixers (Mr. Mahela Jayawardene)
- The Shubhkamna Eagles (Mr. Piyush Tiwari)
- The Tamilnadu Pullees (Mr. Dilip Thomas)
- The Witalsee Punjab Lancers (Mr. Jyoti Naryan)
- The Maharashtra 59ers (Ms Sumedha Sharma)
- The Karnakata Warriors
WHY IT IS
UNIQUE?
·
The
GPL beginning February 7, 2013 will have three rounds with two day-night rounds
of stroke play and the final round being on the best-ball format. The team
scores will be calculated on cumulative scores of all four professionals over
three rounds each.
·
This
is the first time day-night competition has been adopted in professional golf
in Asia.
·
The
event will be telecast live for all three days.
·
The
main event to be held from February 8-10 will be preceded by Pro-Am competition
and a Skills Challenge, featuring Celebrities and professionals, on February 7.
·
Each
round will be played over 14 holes, taking a leaf from the T20 cricket.
WHAT DO THEY SAY?
“It
is the most unique concept in golf that I have seen in almost two decades as a
professional. Playing alongside some of the top names and top Asian and Indian
players will bring in a new excitement. I have been to India and I know the
game is growing fast. I am looking forward to the Golf Premier League,” said Michael Campbell, the 2005 US Open
winner.
“The
Golf Premier League (GPL) is the first of its kind golf property, which seeks
to create an innovative competition through a franchise-based model. This
format will allow for a unique partnership between golf players and team
owners. The presence of Golf Legends, European and Asian superstars, all of
whom have played and won at a very high level, will play alongside top Indian
talent. This will not only promote the game but also raise awareness about
golf, something that will bring added spectator interest,” said Shiv Kapur, Co-Founder, the Golf
Premier League.
Neeraj Sareen, the co-founder of the GPL,
added, “Through the GPL we are seeking to create value for franchise owners and
sponsors and at the same time we wish to bring world-class golfers in a
friendly and yet competitive atmosphere. This will also help sponsors realize
the value in golf, which has grown in great measure in India.”
Mr. Vivek
Kumar, CEO
Aamby Valley City and Hotel Sahara Star,” We are extremely pleased to be
associated with the prestigious Golf Premier League. At Aamby Valley City we
have always aimed to provide golf enthusiasts with a memorable golfing
experience and the event is sure to be an exciting occasion for all golfers.
Voted as the Best International Golf Course at the International Property
Awards, the golf course at Aamby Valley City is designed to match international
luxury standards which are ideal for championships of this stature.”
"It
gives us immense pleasure and a great sense of satisfaction to announce our
association with GPL 2013 in India. It
will not only present a chance for Indian audience to see world-class talent in
action but will also give India’s young players an opportunity to showcase
their talent and get noticed. Golf is gaining immense popularity in India &
we have immense talent in this sport.
Some of the best sportsmen have come from the most unassuming of places,
and it is our endeavor to give this talent a platform with robust grassroots
initiatives like the ‘Pearl’s Golf Premier League 2013’. We are excited about
the launch of this tournament in India and look forward to engaging the
talented young golfer around the country through this program & generate
further interest towards Golf as a sport". Mr K.K.Bakshi CEO Pacl ltd.
Shaju Ignatius, Managing Director, Ignite
Infotainment Pvt. Ltd. and a Core Team Member of the first ever Golf Premier
League said “From my past association with Aamby Valley City, and the
experience of having done a series of events there for over a decade, the
logistics management and operations of the Venue are homegrown. Along with the
Aamby Valley team and management, the Endeavour would be to provide a world
class experience during the League”.
Commenting
on the GPL, Padamjit Sandhu,
Director PGTI said, "This high profile international professional golf
championship in India will further enhance the already growing stature of the
sport in the region. We wish the promoters, the sponsors and the franchise
owners the very best and look forward to an exciting week of golf with
international marquee players at the GPL."
