3-time AVT Senior Tour Rankings Champion Sandeep Sandhu (L) with Dilip Thomas (R)
The 2025–26 season of the AVT Champions Tour, India’s premier competitive tour for senior amateur golfers, is all set to tee off at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA), Bengaluru, on June 9. The season opener marks the continuation of a unique tour that has become a vital fixture in India’s amateur golf ecosystem since its launch in 2019.
Backed by the AVT Group and the vision of its founder Dilip Thomas, a former member of the International Golf Federation’s Olympic Golf Committee, the AVT Champions Tour has created a highly competitive and socially vibrant platform for golfers aged 50 and above.
The recently concluded season, which wrapped up in April, saw exceptional performances and close finishes across the country. Bangalore’s David D’Souza clinched the Overall title at the third leg held at Royal Calcutta Golf Club with a total of 147, while Chandigarh’s Sandeep Singh Sandhu secured the season-long Ranking title for a record third consecutive year.
Sandhu’s consistent play across the legs earned him 71 points, narrowly edging past two-time leg winner D’Souza (70 points). Bangalore’s Jehangir Tankariwala rounded out the top three on the rankings with 56 points.
The AVT Tour helped Sandhu with international success also as he went on to win the Hong Kong Seniors Amateur in 2023 by a staggering 12-shot margin, despite never having represented India internationally in his youth.
Senior amateur golf is seeing explosive growth globally and Indian players are now making their presence felt internationally. A prime example is veteran Delhi golfer Gangesh Khaitan, who won the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Seniors Over-70 title in Vietnam in November 2024. Khaitan, who has multiple All India Seniors titles to his name, dominated the 70+ category at Vinpearl Golf near Hanoi, winning by a 15-shot margin while captaining the Indian team to a respectable tied-5th finish.
These performances underline the competitive edge and preparation the AVT Champions Tour provides to Indian seniors. Not only has the tour become a domestic benchmark for elite amateur competition, but it has also established itself as a launchpad for international success.
What to Expect in 2025–26
The new season will follow the proven multi-leg format, bringing together senior golfers from across the country in a spirit of competition and camaraderie. Individual gross titles across various age brackets (50–54, 55–59, etc.) continue to provide additional incentives.
As the senior golf community in India continues to grow, the AVT Champions Tour is expected to maintain its place as the most structured and respected circuit for seniors.
Looking Ahead
The season opener at KGA is expected to draw top-ranked regulars such as Sandhu, Khaitan, D’Souza, Gaurav Ghosh, and Jaideep Singh of RCGC, among other seasoned competitors. With new faces and returning champions in the fray, and with Indian seniors gaining confidence to test their mettle internationally, the 2025–26 AVT season could be its most impactful yet.