Srinagar (JammuKashmir) [India], September 15 (ANI): The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India, along with J-K Tourism, on Tuesday announced the J-K Open 2021 presented by J-K Tourism which will be held at Royal Springs Golf Course (RSGC) in Srinagar, from September 15 to 18 and will carry a prize purse of Rs 40 lakh.

The Pro-Am event will be held on September 19.

The tournament will witness participation by 125 golfers (118 professionals and seven amateurs). The tournament is part of JK Tourism's great initiative of promoting golf tourism in the region. There are a few gold courses in Jammu and Kashmir such as Royal Springs Golf Course (Srinagar), Pahalgam Golf Course (Lidder Valley), Gulmarg Golf Club and Jammu Tawi Golf Course.

The top Indian professionals in the fray include Olympian Udayan Mane, Indian star Jyoti Randhawa, PGTI Order of Merit leader Karandeep Kochhar, as well as international winners such as Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi, Viraj Madappa and Chikkarangappa S (former winner at Royal Springs Golf Course) as well as other leading Indian players such as Aman Raj, Kshitij Naveed Kaul and Manu Gandas, to name a few. The foreign challenge will be led by the Bangladeshi duo of Md Zamal Hossain Mollah and Badal Hossain.

The local challenge will be led by JK-based players including professionals such as Pawan Parihar, Fayaz Ahmed Langoo and Raghav Wahi as well as amateurs such as Sanjeev Dugra, Shabir Ahmad Bhat, Zubair Hasan Zargar, Arsalan Rah, Adnan Rah and Umar Yaqoob Mir.

Sarmad Hafeez, Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir tourism and culture said, "We're proud to be supporting the JK Open 2021 Presented by JK Tourism as Golf Tourism is an integral part of our larger objective to promote tourism in JK. The return of men's professional golf to the Kashmir valley gives us a great opportunity to showcase JK as an attractive golfing destination. We look forward to a mutually beneficial partnership with the PGTI."Dr. G N Itoo, Director, JK Tourism, said, "JK has a wide variety of magnificent golf courses which provide the ultimate golfing experience to tourists. With the staging of events such as the JK Open 2021 Presented by JK Tourism we look forward to transforming JK into a major hub for Golf Tourism and into the Golfing Capital of the country."Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO, PGTI, said, "The staging of the JK Open 2021 Presented by JK Tourism is another positive trend for the PGTI since the resumption of the tour in the first week of September. The tournament is in line with our long-term objective of promoting professional golf in different parts of the country in order to grow the sport further. We appreciate the support of JK Tourism, JK Golf DevelopmentManagement Authority and the Royal Springs Golf Course in helping us stage this event. We're confident the professional golfers will have a delightful experience while competing in the divine setting of the Royal Springs Golf Course." (ANI)