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Andhra Open Golf Championship Tees Off in Visakhapatnam with Rs 1 Crore Purse

The inaugural Andhra Open golf tournament, sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), begins at Visakhapatnam's East Point Golf Club. The event boasts a total prize purse of Rs 1 crore and features leading Indian professionals like Saptak Talwar and Veer Ahlawat, alongside international players. PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl expressed excitement about returning to Visakhapatnam, an emerging golfing center. The tournament is seen as reinforcing Andhra Pradesh's vision to become an international hub for sport and tourism under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's leadership.

Key Points: Inaugural Andhra Open Golf Tournament Begins in Visakhapatnam

  • Inaugural Rs 1 crore event
  • Hosted at historic East Point Golf Club
  • Features top Indian and international golfers
  • Part of Andhra's push as a sports hub
2 min read

Inaugural edition of Andhra Open to begin from Tuesday in Visakhapatnam

The Professional Golf Tour of India launches the Andhra Open at East Point Golf Club, featuring top pros and a Rs 1 crore prize purse.

"We are excited to return to the East Point Golf Club... for the inaugural edition of the Andhra Open. - Amandeep Johl"

Visakhapatnam, April 6

The Professional Golf Tour of India, 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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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
As someone from Vizag, I'm so proud! The East Point Golf Club is beautiful. It's wonderful to see our city hosting international events. This will definitely boost tourism. Let's go, Muthu and Rahman! Represent us well!
R
Rohit P
While it's good to promote sports, I hope the focus remains on developing local talent and making the sport accessible, not just on one-off glamorous events. The real win will be if this inspires more kids in AP to take up golf.
A
Ajeetesh Sandhu
The course looks stunning in the pictures. Best of luck to all the competitors, especially my fellow Indian pros. Let's put on a good show and make the home crowd proud! The competition looks tough with 18 international players.
S
Sarah B
Interesting read! I had no idea golf had such a long history in Visakhapatnam, with the club being from 1884. It's impressive how they renovated it into a championship course. Shows a real commitment to the sport's infrastructure.
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Karthik V
This is exactly the kind of development we need. Sports tourism is a huge industry. Kudos to the government and PGTI for this initiative. Hope to see more states follow suit and host such professional tournaments.

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