Mane starts favourite

In-form Udayan Mane will be eyeing the coveted Tata Steel All-India Amateur Golf Championship when the 114th edition of the event kicks off here at the Karnataka Golf Association.

With three wins so far this season and a decent performance at the Incheon Asian Games, local lad Mane has a great chance to cap a wonderful season that has seen him occupy the pole position in the Order of Merit List for a while now.

Although he trains at the Eagleton Golf Resort, Mane is no stranger to the KGA. He regularly visits the par-72 course for a few rounds and knows it like the back of his hands.

Hoping to spoil Mane’s home party plans will be the talented Aman Raj. The Patna golfer, who swept the northern leg of the tour with wins at the NCR Cup and Northern India Amateur, lies second in the Merit List and has the ammunition to go the distance.

Defending champion Pratap Atwal, placed third, followed by Southern India Amateur winner Samarth Dwivedi, local lad Trishul Chinnappa and veteran Simarjeet Singh are among the ones to be watched out for.

The six-day tournament will be contested over strokeplay and matchplay. After the opening two days of strokeplay battle, the top-32 players will then battle it out in knock-out matchplay. The final on Sunday will be contested over 36 holes.
DH News Service