– Seasoned Pro Rahil Gangjee to lead Indian charge at the USD 75000 prize money event
– First pro event at the challenging Prestige course in five years
– 132 golfers from 20 nations to battle it out for top honours
– Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) points up for grabs
Professional golfer Rahil Gangjee in action ahead of the Louis Philippe Cup 2018
The Louis Philippe Cup 2018, an Asian Development Tour (ADT) and Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) co-sanctioned event, is all set to tee-off at Bengaluru’s picturesque Prestige Golfshire Club golf course from Tuesday, July 31st. A stern test awaits the 132 golfers gathered here for the USD 75000 four-day stroke play event where official world golf ranking points will also be up for grabs. Friday, August 3rd, will see the winner emerge and the Indian contingent, led by two-time winner on the Asian Tour Rahil Gangjee, will hope the Louis Philippe Cup stays at home.
Measuring roughly 7,000 yards, the award-winning Prestige Golfshire Club offers an 18-hole championship golf course, which will provide a true test of golf for all participants. It will not be easy for the likes of Rahil and company as this is the first time a pro event is being held at the course in five years and the layout has undergone considerable changes to make the going tough for slow adapters. To begin with, it will be a Par 70 golf course and no longer the regular Par 72 as was generally the case at the Prestige. Holes 5 and 16, which were Par 5 holes earlier have been pruned down to Par 4 holes, which leaves the golfer with some very challenging Par 4 holes on the course, some of them a mammoth 480-yards from tee to pin.
The Kolkata bred and Bengaluru based Rahil, who won his second career Asian Tour event this year, winning the $1.37 million Panasonic Open Golf Championship in Ibaraki, Japan, back in April this year, also had this to say about the course and conditions before heading out to practice on Monday, “The course is in fine condition and it is going to play very fast. This time of the year, the Prestige Golfshire course is at its challenging best with heavy winds which will only lead to a very interesting competition.” He added, “the field consists of the best from India and a few seasoned professionals from Asia and this tournament is no way to be taken lightly. As far as I am concerned there’s only goal for me and that is come back home with the trophy.”
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The win in Japan netted Rahil a purse of US$ 283,018 (INR 1.9 crores approximately). He is currently placed 5th on the Habitat for Humanity Asian Tour Order of Merit (OOM) rankings with total earnings of US$ 290,425 million thus far.
Delhi golfer and the current leader of PGTI OOM, Honey Baisoya is looking forward to favourable results from this tournament. Speaking at the Prestige, Honey said, “ its great to have tournaments like the Louis Philippe Cup on the tour. Such events with an international stature are good to play some competitive golf under world class conditions. I am looking forward to this tournament and I hope to return with favourable results for myself.”
From left to right: Rashid Khan, Aadil Bedi(A), Honey Baisoya, Rahil Gangjee, Harimohan Singh (A) at the players press conference of Louis Philippe Cup 2018
The 132 member strong field for the Louis Philippe Cup 2018 includes the top 60 ranked golfers from the Indian pro circuit as well as around 50 golfers representing some 20 nationalities from the ADT. The winner receives a minimum of six points and the leading six players and ties earn points based on a sliding scale.
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Some other top golfers from around the region who will be seen competing at the Prestige Golfshire are three time Asian Tour winner Marcus Both of Australia, Sri Lanka’s popular Mithun Pereira who has won five times on the Indian tour, local star S. Chikarangappa who is a two time winner on the ADT and Delhi’s Rashid Khan, a two-time winner on Asian Tour.
Farida Kaliyadan,Chief Marketing Officer, Lifestyle Brands, ABFRL, the holding company for Louis Philippe said, “ Louis Philippe is proud to continue our rich golfing tradition that has been existing over the last seven years. It’s a special moment for all of us to launch the Louis Philippe Cup this season as a con-sanctioned event by PGTI & ADT, taking the stature of this event to an international level. We hope golfers from across nations get to enjoy good competitive rounds of Golf and may the best golfer walk away with the winners trophy.”
She further adds, “Golf as a sport connotes poise, panache and style and these qualities blend perfectly with brand Louis Philippe. The Louis Philippe “Crest” is known for its craftsmanship and attention to detail, some values that are reflected in the game of golf. This season we look forward to witness some of our best golfers in competition to Rise Above The Rest.”
Also participating in the tournament are Chandigarh based amateur Aadil Bedi & Noida based Hari Mohan. Both of these amateurs are representing India in the upcoming Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia this year. Both Aadil and Hari are looking forward to some much-needed practice in this tournament ahead of Asian Games.
Aadil, playing in only his third pro event shared his thoughts before the event saying, “this will be a high pressure match and the pressure will be the same as we will have in the Asian Games. The course itself is very challenging and similar to what we experience outside India. Tournaments like these where every shot counts is what we require in the Asian Games where we will be proving ourselves to get a medal for the country.”
Harimohan, who is currently ranked fourth in the Indian Golf Union Order of Merit, echoed his teammate commenting, “the Louis Philippe Cup is a really great platform to test my skills right before the Asian Games as it is an ADT event and there will be many strong players teeing off from the Asian region. The course seems very challenging and the greens look very fast and similar to international conditions which is what we need just before we head to Indonesia for the Asian Games. It will be fun competing with the international professionals here.”
The leading seven players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the main Asian Tour in 2019 which boasted 30 events with a total of USD 3,62,30,000 prize money in 2017.