Fresh from his victory at the Hyundai Open, Mukesh Kumar is the hot favourite at 'The Hindu Open,' the sixth leg of the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour, to be played at the Cosmo-TNGF course in Chennai from September 10 to 13.
The event will be followed by the SSI Pro-Am on September 14.
As many as 90 professionals are expected to vie for a total prize-money of Rs 700,000, with the winner standing to gain Rs 1,13,400, while the runner-up will pocket Rs 78,400.
The Hindu Open forms the fifth and final leg of the 'Southern Swing' on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour.
With the victory at the Hyundai Open, Mukesh Kumar jumped to second position on the current Order of Merit. The Mhow-based pro had a third-place finish in the TNGF-KONE Open a fortnight ago at the same course after leading a quality field for three rounds.
"I am confident of defending the title. It was here that I had won my first title during last season and hence this event is special for me," Mukesh said on the eve of the tournament.
The rest of the field includes Digvijay Singh and Feroz Ali, who finished second and third on the Order of Merit last year, and veterans like Rohtas Singh and Basad Ali.