Visakhapatnam, April 6 (IANS) The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India, announced the inaugural edition of the Andhra Open, which will be held here at the picturesque East Point Golf Club from April 7 to 10. The total prize purse for the event is Rs 1 crore.

The leading Indian professionals participating in the event include PGTI Order of Merit leader Saptak Talwar, Veer Ahlawat, Om Prakash Chouhan, Manu Gandas, Angad Cheema (winner at EPGC in 2024), Honey Baisoya and Ajeetesh Sandhu, to name a few.

The leading foreign player at the event is Sri Lankan N Thangaraja (winner at EPGC in 2023). There are 18 foreign players participating from nine different countries.

The local challenge will be led by Visakhapatnam-based professionals S Muthu and Mohammed Rahman.

Amandeep Johl, CEO, PGTI, said, “We are excited to return to the East Point Golf Club (EPGC) and to the city of Visakhapatnam, an emerging golfing centre in the country, for the inaugural edition of the Andhra Open. We thank the EPGC and all the other stakeholders for their support of the event.

“Under the dynamic leadership of the Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh is making remarkable strides toward establishing itself as a progressive, investment-friendly and globally competitive state. Initiatives such as these further reinforce Andhra Pradesh’s vision of positioning itself as an international hub for sport, tourism and business.

M S N Raju, Secretary, East Point Golf Club, said, “East Point Golf Club was established in 1884. In 1964 it shifted to this location. After getting 18 acres land in 2018 from the government, we were able to make a championship course by 2021 and awarded Best Renovated Golf Course in India in 2022. APGA also established base at EPGC and started promoting golfing activities in Andhra Pradesh, including DP World PGTI’s Andhra Open 2026. This is the 3rd time we are hosting the PGTI.

–IANS

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