Kapil Dev to star in Champions Golf tournament

Star senior golfers, including legendary cricketer Kapil Dev, would be vying for top honours at a golf tournament, beginning in Pune on Thursday.

The first season of the annual AVT Champions Tour Golf will see the commencement of the third leg of the tour at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune on September 19-20.

The AVT Champions Tour holds the unique distinction of being the only golf tour catering to 50-year-old or above senior golfers in India. The first leg in Delhi NCR was hosted in March
followed by the second round in Bengaluru in June with the final leg scheduled for Kolkata in January.

Star senior golfers who would be vying for top honours in the tournament include Dev, former Asian Games double gold-medallist Lakshman Singh, ex-Asian Games gold medallist and
winner of the first leg of the AVT Champions Tour Rishi Narain.

Dev, 60, who led the Indian cricket team to the 1983 World Cup triumph, took up golf after retirement.

The field will also feature All India Senior Golf Champions Gangesh Khaitan along with Vijay Kumar and former India international David DSouza, who was the winner of the AVT Tour Bengaluru leg in June.

Besides, 12 senior women golfers will also be seen competing in the event.

In the first leg in Delhi, Kapil (74, 72) and Narain (76, 70) were locked at 146 after 36 holes with the latter emerging winner based on the tournament tie-breaker of the better final-round score.

In the Bengaluru leg, Bangalorean David D'souza won easily with a gross score of 152 after rounds of 79 and 73 over two days.

The AVT Champions Tour will be played in the individual gross stroke play format over 36 holes and the winner will be announced based on the best total score over the two days.

As many as 112 senior golfers, with a maximum handicap of 18 across four age categories -- 50-54, 55-59, 60-64 and 65 & above -- have already confirmed their participation, the release said.