JAMSHEDPUR: The 10th Tata Open Golf rolled out today at Beldih Golf Course. The Pro-Am event of the 10th Tata Open Golf provided amateur golfers from the Tata Group and Jamshedpur with an opportunity to play alongside some of the top professional golfers of the country.
Shri Arjun Munda, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, inaugurated the Pro-Am today at 6:30 am in the graceful presence of Mr Sanjiv Paul, Vice President (Corporate Services), Tata Steel, Mr Bhushan Raina, Chairman, JUSCO and many other dignitaries and higher officials of Tata Steel. Shri Arjun Munda later participated in the event along with Golf Captain, Mr Bushen Raina.
The Pro-Am event was played in the Team Stableford format with each team comprising of one professional and three amateurs. The event was won by PGTI member Amardip Singh Malik’s team. Malik’s team comprised of amateurs Mr Dinesh Raisurana, Mr Amitava Bakshi and Mr Sanjay Sabherwal. Their total score of the team was 119. PGTI member Vinod Kumar’s team finished runners-up with a total of 113. Mr Vinod’s team consisted of Mr Rajiv Mehta, Mr S A Haleem and Mr S Philip.
The straight drive contest on hole no. 12 was won by Mr Dheer Dutta whose drive landed one inch from the centre of the fairway. The closest to the pin contest on hole no. 3 was won by Mr Udit Sarkar as his tee shot stopped six feet and seven inches from the hole. The closest to the pin contest on hole no. 17 was won by Mr B K Singh. His tee shot ended up at a distance of five feet and six inches from the hole.
The Pro-Am had an added attraction. Two of India’s top professionals, Mr Jyoti Randhawa and Mr Digvijay Singh, both of whom are highly skilled and experienced sky-divers, kick-started the event in a grand fashion with their act of daredevilry. The duo performed sky-diving from an approximate altitude of 7000 feet at 10 am in the morning and again at 3 pm in the afternoon. They made a perfect landing on both occasions on the seventh fairway of the Beldih Golf Course.
The tournament boasts of an impressive field which includes the likes of India’s international star Jyoti Randhawa, defending champion Ashok Kumar, Rolex Rankings leader Chiragh Kumar, Mukesh Kumar, Rashid Khan, Shankar Das, Mithun Perera, Feroz Ali Mollah, Anura Rohana, Manav Jaini, Sanjay Kumar, Mandeo Singh Pathania, Vijay Kumar, Raju Ali Mollah, Shamim Khan, Digvijay Singh and Gaurav Ghei, to name a few.
The Tata Open is unique in the sense that it will once again be staged at not one but two golf courses – Beldih and Golmuri. Both these courses are lush green, beautiful and very well-maintained, with the charming Dalma Hills in the background. While the 70-year-old Beldih golf course flaunts long fairways, Golmuri is a smaller, greener boutique course disallowing golfers any room for error.
Established in 1907 as one of Asia’s first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the top-ten global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of over 28 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). It is now the world’s second most geographically diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50. The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of US$ 26.4 billion in FY ’10, has over 80,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company.
The Group’s vision is to be the world’s steel industry benchmark in “Value Creation” and “Corporate Citizenship” through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct. Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspirational targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency. In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management.
Tata Steel is the only Indian company to invest in world-class sports facilities, create academies and maintain and manage international level arenas. The cadets of its Tata Football Academy, the nursery for the sport in India, as well as those of the Tata Archery Academy, the only one of its kind for archery, have justified the faith that the Company has in the talent and ability of its youth. Today, a significant part of the Indian Football team, India’s best archers, some of its finest cricketers, athletes, shooters, a Grand Master and several national and international legends have realized their dreams as a result of the support they have received from TATA Steel Sports Academies.
Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognized official body of professional golf in India. PGTI’s objective is to promote professional golf in the country as well as give players an opportunity to be involved in decision making for all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Gautam Thapar (President), PGTI’s governing body comprises of leading Indian golf professionals such as Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur, SSP Chowrasia, Digvijay Singh, Uttam Singh Mundy, Amritinder Singh and Ranjit Singh. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
