Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 8 (ANI): Indorama Ventures and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) will jointly stage the inaugural Indorama Ventures Open Golf Championship from April 9 - 12 at the magnificent Kalhaar Blues and Greens Golf Club in Ahmedabad.

The tournament offers a total prize purse of Rs 2 crore. The main event will be followed by the Pro-Am event on April 13, according to the PGTI press release.

The tournament, which begins on April 9 at Kalhaar Blues and Greens, will feature 126 players, including 123 professionals and three amateurs. It will be played in stroke-play format, consisting of four rounds of 18 holes each. After two rounds, the top 50 players and ties will make the cut. The course par is 72.

The star-studded field at the tournament will feature leading Indian professionals Ajeetesh Sandhu, Om Prakash Chouhan, Manu Gandas, Yuvraj Sandhu, Shaurya Bhattacharya, Varun Parikh, Rahil Gangjee, Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi, Udayan Mane, Shaurya Binu, Sachin Baisoya, Aman Raj, Karandeep Kochhar and Chikkarangappa S to name a few, the release said.

The foreign challenge will be led by Czech Republic's Stepan Danek, Sri Lankans N Thangaraja and K Prabagaran, American Koichiro Sato, Italian Federico Zucchetti, Uganda's Joshua Seale, Bangladeshis Md Siddikur Rahman, Jamal Hossain, Badal Hossain, Md Akbar Hossain, Md Jakiruzzaman Jakir, Md Somrat Sikdar, Md Muaj and Md Razu as well as Nepal's Sukra Bahadur Rai and Subash Tamang. Besides PGTI winner Varun Parikh, the other professionals representing Ahmedabad include Jay Pandya and Dhruv Suri. The amateurs from Ahmedabad are Aryav Shah and Islam Khan.

Indian golf legend Jeev Milkha Singh's teenage son Harjai Milkha Singh of Chandigarh will be the third amateur playing the tournament.

Aloke Lohia, Founder and Group CEO at Indorama Ventures, said, 'We are proud to begin our association with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) as the title sponsor of the inaugural Indorama Ventures Open Golf Championship. As one of the world's leading chemical companies, our partnership with the PGTI is an opportunity to promote the growth of professional golf in India while creating meaningful connections with the broader golfing community--and indeed cherish our close ties with India as a whole through my family's proud heritage. This year's event at the world-class Kalhaar Blues and Greens Golf Club promises to be a showcase of extraordinary talent, and we look forward to celebrating the achievements of India's professional golfers. I extend my gratitude to PGTI President Kapil Dev, and all participants for making this tournament a highlight on the international golfing calendar.'

Amandeep Johl, CEO, PGTI, said, 'We thank Indorama Ventures for coming on board as a title sponsor and supporting our efforts to grow professional golf in India. This new partnership is testament to the continuing upward trajectory of Indian golf. We will strive to jointly work with Indorama in establishing the event as one of the top attractions on the PGTI schedule. An impressive prize purse, a stellar field and immaculate playing conditions at the magnificent Kalhaar Blues and Greens, make for a fascinating week of golfing action. We wish the players all the best.' (ANI)