‘Can be a gold mine’, says Kapil Dev as PGTI launches its own golf league

The Indian men’s domestic golf tour has seen a steady growth in prize money and tournaments.

- N Ananthanarayanan

The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the body which runs the men’s domestic tour, has added an intercity, franchise league to its busy calendar.

Announcing the launch of 72 The League — it represents the number of holes over which a traditional tournament is played — PGTI president Kapil Dev briefly donned his cricket cap at a news conference, pointing out how the success of IPL has spawned numerous leagues across sports in India. “It started with cricket, and IPL has had such an impact,” he said. “Today, the majority of TV is being watched by sports people. So, why shouldn't our boys get a chance to make a life. And people can also enjoy.”

The league will involve six franchises — their fee details are being worked out — representing different cities. Each will buy 10 players from among those registered with PGTI at an auction in January. The fortnight long tournament will run from February 21. The first edition, to mainly deal with logistics, will be held across three courses in the Delhi-NCR region.