Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational aims for T20-style thrill in golf with mixed format

The Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational golf tournament is set to return for its third edition in April, with a new mixed format set to be introduced with an aim to match the “thrill” of T20 cricket.

It is set to be India’s first professional golf tournament to be co-sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and the Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI).

After a practice round on April 23, the tournament will have a three-day, 54-hole championship from April 24 to 26, where 60 men and 12 women professionals will compete for the same prize purse of Rs. 2 crore.

The event will also feature three Pro-Am rounds in a rotational format, with 48 professionals teeing off in the morning, while the remaining 24 pair up with 72 amateurs in the afternoon session.

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Each Pro-Am team will comprise one professional and three amateurs, with scores combining the pro’s stroke play and the amateurs’ scramble format. 

“It is something new that is happening. We want to do something like T20. More thrills in a short time,” Kapil, who is the PGTI president, told reporters on Tuesday.

“We can bring more people to the golf course and more sponsors. The golfers need more opportunities. Today cricket reached this stage because the cricket board has given them the opportunity to play at the highest level. I think it is very important for the golfers also to enjoy something new. Because they are playing day in and day out, the same type of game. The world is moving and we have to move with the times,” he added.

(With inputs from PTI)