NEW DELHI, Dec 16: The Professional Golf Tour of India has inked a historic partnership with PGA Tour and DP World Tour, paving the way for Indian golfers to compete at the highest levels.
According to the partnership, “the leading player — not otherwise exempt — on the 2022 TATA Steel PGTI Rankings will earn membership onto the DP World Tour for the following season beginning with the DP World Tour’s 2023 campaign.
“The next highest ranked non-exempt player in the top ten on the rankings will earn a spot in the Final Stage of the DP World Tour Qualifying School, while a further three players will earn spots into the Second Stage.”
According to a partnership announced between PGA Tour and DP World Tour in June, “leading 10 players on DP World Tour’s Race To Dubai Rankings, in addition to those already exempt, will earn cards on the PGA TOUR, beginning with the 2024 season.”
With the DP World Tour already announcing two new Challenge Tour events for India, the new announcement will further enhance playing opportunities for the international players, including from India.
The PGTI players will have access to 60 spots in each of the two Challenge Tour events which will be played in India next March — the Duncan Taylor Black Bull Challenge (March 23-26) and The Challenge Presented by KGA (March 28-31).
Both tournaments will take place at Karnataka Golf Association in Bangalore and were announced as part of the Challenge Tour’s 2023 Road to Mallorca on Wednesday.
Six Indian players have combined to win 16 events on the DP World Tour, including four each by Jeev Milkha Singh and SSP Chawrasia.
Chawrasia, infact, had claimed consecutive victories in 2016 and 2017 at the Hero Indian Open, an event which will return to the DP World Tour’s schedule in 2023 after a four-year absence due to the global pandemic.
Arjun Atwal remains the lone Indian to win on both the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR, winning three events on the former Tour before adding the Wyndham Championship to his trophy collection in 2010.
“Our global pathway system enables players from different international Tours to compete on the DP World Tour, and we are delighted to extend that opportunity to players from the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India,” Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the DP World Tour, said in a release.
“We have already seen some terrific players from India establish themselves and win on our Tour, and this partnership will give many more the chance to follow in their footsteps, as well as potentially go on to play on the PGA TOUR too.
“We also look forward to working together with the PGTI and the PGA TOUR to continue to develop golf in India in the years ahead, helping the PGTI to provide a strong platform for golfers in the country.”
Uttam Singh Mundy, Chief Executive Officer of the PGTI, said, “This new association is a watershed moment for the PGTI as it opens many doors for our professionals on the international stage and is a recognition of the growing stature of Indian professional golf and our tour.” (PTI)
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