Dilip Thomas – MD, AVT Group, awarding the Overall Winner’s trophy to Bangalore’s David D’Souza
The 2025–26 season of the AVT Champions Tour, India’s flagship competitive circuit with 4 events each year for senior amateur golfers over age 50, officially began with its season-opening leg at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) in Bangalore, from June 10-11.
KGA’s championship layout saw seasoned campaigners and new entrants alike competing over two rounds of stroke play.
Category A (50–54 years):
Ashish Kapoor secured the Category A title with a total score of 148, narrowly edging out Anil Shivanna, who carded a 150 over the two rounds.
Category B (55–59 years):
Local favourite David D’Souza reaffirmed his top-tier status with a standout performance in Category B, shooting 145 to finish six shots ahead of runner-up Amitabh Poddar (151). D’Souza won a leg of the tour last season in Kolkata and finished second in the 2024-25 season Rankings.
Category C (60–64 years):
Three-time AVT Tour season champion Sandeep Singh Sandhu of Chandigarh opened the new season in signature dominant form, carding a 145 to narrowly edge another local favorite Jehangir Tankariwala of Bangalore by 1 shot. Sandhu’s win sets the tone for another strong season as he begins his campaign to defend his ranking title for a record fourth consecutive year.
Category D (65–69 years):
Pune’s Dhananjay Date emerged as the winner in Category D with a total of 158, ahead of Delhi’s Viney Singh, who posted a 161.
Category E (70+ years):
In the 70+ division, veteran Vijay Kumar of Noida delivered a composed performance to take top honours with a 165 total. Navneet Singh followed closely behind at 169.
Women’s Category:
In the women’s gross category, Paromita Mukherjee from Bangalore posted a two-day score of 165 to take the win ahead of Roopa Pratap, who finished with 167.
Overall Gross Category:
In a tie for the Overall Champion, both David D’Souza and Sandeep Sandhu had a total of 145, but D’Souza was declared as the winner as he had a better Round 2 score.
Looking Ahead
Now in its seventh year, the AVT Champions Tour has carved out a unique space in Indian amateur golf. Backed by the AVT Group and spearheaded by Dilip Thomas—a former member of the International Golf Federation’s Olympic Committee—the tour continues to serve as a launchpad for elite senior golfers.
With the season now underway, attention will turn to the next leg of the tour in November, in Mumbai, which is again expected to draw all the top senior amateurs from across the country.