Karnataka Golf Festival to tee off today

 The fourth edition of the Karnataka Golf Festival will tee off at the Karnataka Golf Association on Thursday with plenty in store for the competing amateurs.

Apart from serving as a qualifying event for the World Golfers’ Championship due be held in Durban, South Africa from Oct 27 to Nov 3, the four-day tournament has an added incentive for all the participants.

The player with the best gross score and whose name does not feature in the Indian Golf Union Order of Merit list will get a chance to compete in the Duke of Edinburgh Cup, which will be held at the Windsor Castle from Sept 30 to Oct 4.

The tournament will be contested in five handicap categories — 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20 and 21-24. The winner across each category will represent India at the World Golfers’ Championship. Players will also be competing in a team of two and the best pairing will be awarded with seven-nights eight-days trip on the Golden Chariot.

“With each passing year the tournament has just been getting better,” Rishi Narain, whose firm is organising the event, said at a press conference at the KGA on Wednesday. “We are expecting around 500 participants with people coming in from neighbouring States as well. This is not just an ordinary amateur tournment. It has lots to play for even for the average club golfer.”