The demanding 7,347 yards, par 72 championship course at
Jaypee Greens Golf Course, which opened in 2000, is the only course in India
designed by two-time Major Champion Norman.
Located approximately one hour from Delhi
airport, the course features several water hazards and bunkering reminiscent of
classic Melbourne
sand belt courses.
Jaypee Greens GC takes over the staging of the Avantha
Masters from DLF Golf and Country Club, which hosted the €1.8million event in
2010 (won by Andrew Dodt), 2011 (SSP Chowrasia) and 2012 (Jbe’ Kruger).
The tournament will again be co-sanctioned by The European
and Asian Tours and will comprise an increased field of 156 players, with 61
provided by The European Tour, 61 by the Asian Tour, 28 by the Professional
Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and the final six allocated to sponsor’s
invitations. The onsite event execution will continue
to be operated by IMG Reliance, which has successfully implemented the event
for the previous three editions.
Gautam Thapar, Chairman and CEO of the Avantha Group, said:
“Following three hugely successful stagings of the Avantha Masters, we are
delighted to sponsor the tournament for the fourth successive year. As one of India ’s biggest
business conglomerates we are rightly proud to be associated with a
professional golf tournament of this magnitude and stature, and we look forward
to the next edition in March 2013 and the chance it provides to help grow the
game across the country.”
Padamjit Sandhu, Director of the PGTI, said: “The Avantha
Masters gives Indian golfers the best possible platform to test themselves
against some of the world’s best golfers. Following the recent success of the
likes of Jeev Milkha Singh, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Shiv Kapur, Jyoti Randhawa and
SSP Chowrasia, the game of golf has never been more popular in India, and I
have no doubt that the fourth edition of the Avantha Masters will again
showcase India’s ability to stage a world-class tournament.”
Vidya Basarkod, President (Sales & Marketing) of Jaypee
Greens Golf Course, said: “We feel proud and privileged to be hosting the
fourth edition of the Avantha Masters on our golf course, as we believe the
tournament will help showcase our beautiful property to the watching world. In
particular, the last three holes should help to provide a suitably dramatic
finish, and everyone associated with the club is truly excited to see how some
of the world’s best players fare over a course which we hope will provide a
true test of their skills.”
Keith Waters, the European Tour’s Chief Operating Officer,
said: “The success of both the Avantha Masters and its leading players is
testament to golf’s popularity in India , an increasingly influential
country in a sporting and business context. We should thank our co-sanctioning
partners at the Asian Tour and the PGTI, as well as the title sponsors Avantha
and the new host venue Jaypee Greens Golf Course, which we feel, will provide a
fitting stage for another top class tournament in March.”
Kyi Hla Han, Executive Chairman of the Asian Tour, said: “On
behalf of our talented players, we look forward to returning to the Avantha
Masters, which is one of the most prestigious events on the Asian Tour
Schedule. Asian Tour members have done well at the Avantha Masters since its
inaugural event in 2010, and we expect our players to continue their fine run
in 2013”.
“As the richest tournament in India ,
the Avantha Masters is regarded highly in Asia
and I would like to express our fullest appreciation to our title sponsor
Avantha for their wonderful contribution to the game. With our sanctioning
partners PGTI and The European Tour, the Asian Tour will continue to play the
lead role in developing professional golf at the highest level in the region.”
Defending champion Jbe’ Kruger said: “Winning your
first European Tour event is always special, and I can’t wait to go back to India to defend
my Avantha Masters title in March. It’s a great country with great people, and
I’ve got some very fond memories of my victory in Delhi last year. I haven’t played Jaypee
Greens but have heard great things about it, and if it’s anything like as good
as last year’s, then we’re in for a real treat.”
Press release
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