SRF Open format changed
to matchplay

The SRF Open, the longest running professional golf tournament on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour, is set for an exciting refurbishment when the 28th edition is played at the Delhi Golf Club, from April 1, 2002.

After 27 years of being played as a 72-hole strokeplay format, the tournament will become a matchplay event. The name of the tournament thus changes from SRF Open to SRF All-India Matchplay.

The tournament will now feature 64 players, based on their Order of Merit positions and finishes in the Qualifying School. The prize-money is also being raised substantially from last season's Rs 850,000 to Rs.One million.

Tiger Sports Marketing, who will be managing the event, will release the other details soon.

In a statement on Thursday, Dr Bharat Ram, chairman, SRF Ltd and a founding member of Delhi Golf Club, said: "The SRF Open has a unique place in Indian golf and it is about time we made a few changes to make the tournament even more exciting for the players and the spectators."

The matchplay is a unique format, where the players are pitted directly against one another and the loser gets knocked out of the tournament. While strokeplay rewards consistency over four days, matchplay asks for consistency, risk-taking, mindgames and individual brilliance, thus making it one of the most exciting formats in golf.

The last time a matchplay tournament was played in the country was in the 1998-99 season when Shiv Prakash won the Crompton Greaves All-India Matchplay in Mumbai.

While all the top pros in the country are expected to participate in the tournament, the event will miss its 'defending champion' Jyoti Randhawa, who is out of action after fracturing his collar bone in an unfortunate accident earlier this month.