Telegraph Open promises a battle royale

An intriguing battle between current Order of Merit leader Mukesh Kumar of Mhow and Kolkata's very own Feroz Ali is sure to provide a glittering start to The Telegraph's association with the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour, when the inaugural Telegraph Open tees off at the historic Royal Calcutta Golf Club from January 30, 2002.

The four-day tournament, which concludes on February 2, carries a total prize money of Rs One million and forms the 18th leg of the 2001-02 Hero Honda Golf Tour. The event is being managed by the Delhi-based Tiger Sports Marketing.

A full field of 100 professionals is expected to vie for the winner's cheque of Rs 1,62,000. The runner-up will be richer by Rs 1,12,000. The top-50 players and ties will make the cut at the end of the second round.

"Golf is the fastest growing sport in the country and we are excited about our association with the professional golf Tour. Kolkata has a rich tradition of golf and The Telegraph is happy to provide some unforgettable golfing action for the aficionados of the game," said Amitabha Datta, vice-president, Sales & Marketing, Ananda Bazaar Patrika Group, publishers of The Telegraph .

While a number of top players will tee off for the tournament, the focus will be on the intense battle between Feroz and Mukesh for the Player of the Year award. Mukesh has enjoyed an outstanding season with four title victories and 14 top-five finishes and looked like a running away with the Player of the Year, which comes with a Rs One million cheque from Mahindras.

However, Feroz brought the excitement back to the race with an amazing charge which started in December last year. In less than two months, the 1998 Indian Open champion won three titles in five starts and has come withing striking distance of Mukesh.

"My confidence is sky high. 2002 has been very good to me so far and I am looking forward to The Telegraph Open to close the gap further with Mukesh. It will be to my advantage that the tournament is being played at Royal Calcutta, which is my home course," said Feroz, who won last week's HT ProGolf 2002 - Delhi.

Feroz will also take heart from the uncanny precedence of Kolkata players winning all the tournaments sponsored by media houses on the Hero Honda Golf Tour this season. Yusuf Ali won the season-opening Hindu Open, while Rahil Gangjee, Indrajit Bhalotia and Feroz have won the three events sponsored by Hindustan Times .

Apart from Mukesh and Feroz, thrice Order of Merit winner Vijay Kumar, twice Honda-Siel PGA champion Uttam Singh Mundy, twice Indian Open winner Ali Sher, winner of the HT ProGolf Kolkata, Indrajit Bhalotia; local favourite and joint runner-up at the '99 Indian Open, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia and this season's leading rookie Rahil Gangjee are also strong contenders for the title.

There could not have been a better venue for the tournament than the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, the oldest golf club in the world outside the British Isles. This quality golf course has produced golfers of the caliber of Uttam Singh Mundy, Feroz Ali, Basad Ali, Rahil Gangjee, Rafiq Ali and SSP Chowrasia among others. The Royal is one of the toughest golf courses in the country and posseses several challenging holes.