Anju Razdan, Siddharth Sangwan and Saurabh Sood won the ladies, 0 to 14 handicap, and 15 to 24 handicap categories, respectively, of the inaugural Royal Ranthambore presents ‘Business Today Golf’ 2022-23 edition at the Classic Golf and Country Club.
The competition was organized on Sunday.
The competition saw corporate Delhi turning out in force for the return of the exclusive, by-invitation golf tournament, presented by Royal Ranthambore. The Jack Nicklaus course was abuzz with activity throughout a cool, crisp winter morning.
Sports and lifestyle apparel brand Nautica, Indian Oil Corporation Rajasthan Tourism, and Titan Corporate Business Group were the other sponsors for the event.
Woman golfer Simi Mehra and former India all-rounder Suresh Raina were the guests of honor at the prize presentation ceremony held on the Classic course’s clubhouse lawns.
Raina, who has picked up golf in the past couple of years, also took time out to play a few holes. “Just started playing,” he said with a smile. “It was fun out here today. This is a great game and I hope more and more people take to it. Thanks to BT Golf for putting together this fabulous event.”
“Business Today has always been a great supporter of women’s golf, and I believe even after the Covid, BT will continue to support women’s golf with a similar passion,” said Simi Mehra.
A field of over a hundred golfers, including a good number of women, who joined the newly-introduced ladies section of the tournament, teed off in chilly conditions but quickly warmed to the task of getting good scores on the card.
“This is an event I have been looking forward to ever since it was announced,” said MG Motors India Managing Director Rajeev Chaba. “It was a well-organized and well-run event as I expected it to be.”
For event winner Anju Razdan of the Zabarwan Foundation, it was a round that belied her handicap. “Normally I get to score somewhere near my handicap but today was a much better round than I normally play.”
Commencing in 1996 as a standalone single-city Pro-Am, BT Golf evolved into one of the most-desired golf events for the next 22 years and its revival after a three-year break had sparked interest. Besides Razdan, 10-handicapper Pooja Ahluwalia was happy to make the most of the perfect day out.
“Other than leaving it short on my approach shots I had a good round,” Ahluwalia said, “I was especially with my driving, got almost all my drives where they were supposed to go. With such good weather, it was a fun outing overall, and a well-organized tournament.”
The sporting world was represented by 1983 Cricket World Cup winner Madan Lal, former India left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, 1982 Asian Games golf gold medalist and Arjuna awardee Amit Luthra, besides former India Davis Cupper Vishal Uppal.
While Kartik was appreciative of the occasion, he was a little disappointed with his own performance. “I’m a two-handicap and played five-over today so that wasn’t great. Other than that I had a good time.”
The results of the competition are as follows:
0-14 Handicap: Siddharth Sangwan (Winner), Avneet Vohra (Runner Up)
15-24 Handicap: Saurabh Sood (Winner), Pradyumn Tripathi (Runner Up)
Ladies: Anju Razdan (Winner), Nitu Agarwal (Runner Up)
Closest to pin: DP Singh
Straight drive: Pudu Hari Prasad
Longest drive: Vivek Vasistha
.