Coimbatore, Aug 13
The second edition of the Coimbatore Open will be played from August 14 - 17 at the Coimbatore Golf Club. The tournament carries a prize purse of Rs 1 crore.
The Pro-Am event will be staged on August 18. The event will witness participation by 126 golfers including 123 professionals and three amateurs. The leading Indian professionals in the field include Veer Ahlawat (TATA Steel PGTI Ranking leader), Manu Gandas, Karandeep Kochhar, Chikkarangappa, Aman Raj, Shaurya Binu and defending champion Harshjeet Singh Sethie, to name a few.
The local challenge will be led by Coimbatore-based professional Sidhartha Sharathram and amateur J Vignessh.
The prominent foreign names competing are Sri Lankans N Thangaraja and K Prabagaran, Bangladeshis Jamal Hossain and Badal Hossain, Italy's Michele Ortolani, Czechia's Stepan Danek, Nepal's Subash Tamang, Canada's Sukhraj Singh Gill, South Korea's Si In Kim, Japan's Makoto Iwasaki and American Dominic Piccirillo.
Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO of PGTI, said, "We thank Coimbatore Golf Club, KGiSL and Prima Donna for their continued support in establishing the Coimbatore Open as an important stop on the PGTI. The Coimbatore Golf Club always produces a fascinating contest as the course and the windy conditions test the skills of the top Indian professionals. We look forward to yet another exciting week of golf."
R Gopinath, president, Coimbatore Golf Club, said, "A good monsoon and prevailing strong seasonal winds have made course conditions at Coimbatore Golf Club challenging for the PGTI Coimbatore Open this year. The course has had a few changes in the layout to further enhance its testing nature. All in all, the Coimbatore Open 2024 promises to be a test of both shot-making and course management skills."
The Coimbatore Golf Club, nestled among the Nilgiri mountains, is a par-72, 6540-yard course. The Palghat Hills, part of the Western Ghats, form a scenic backdrop to the course. The playing experience is heavily influenced by the seasons. Strong westerly winds during May to September make the course the most challenging. The winds ensure that the golfers have a tough battle on their hands. For an errant golfer, the course can be extremely unforgiving.