AVT Champions Tour returns - India Golf Weekly | India's No.1 Source For Golf News and Knowledge

In yet another signal that golfers are keen to get back to competitive and social golf tournaments, the AVT Champions Tour event, now in its 2^nd season, saw a full field of nearly 100 players at Classic Golf Resort, outside Gurgaon.

The tournament supported by the Ministry of Tourism under its ‘Incredible India’ campaign, played over 36 holes in strokeplay format on gross scores was keenly contested. Delhi golf club’s Ajai Sirohi, a member of the 2019 Indian national senior squad pipped Kapil Dev and Arvind Khanna on the 36^th hole with a birdie for a two-stroke margin to finish on a total of 147, three over par.

The AVT Champions Tour, started by well-known Chennai based industrialist and golf enthusiast Dilip Thomas, Managing Director, AVT Group, was conceptualised to give a competitive platform for golfers aged 50 and above across India. Till 2019, the IGU All India Seniors was the one 54 hole event for golfers over age 55 from which a 6 member team is selected to represent India at the annual Asia Pacific Seniors Championship. Then since 2016, Dilip Thomas, in conjunction with the Indian Golf Union and South Africa Golf Association held a bilateral team match. In discussion with senior golfers in other countries, it was found that South Africa staged some thirty annual competitive 36 hole tournaments for seniors annually and Australia and other countries, even more. Hence a group of senior golfers including Gangesh Khaitan, former cricket captain Kapil Dev, Double Asian Games gold medallist Bunny Lakshman Singh and others got together with Mr Thomas to start the AVT Champions Tour consisting of four annual 36 hole strokeplay tournaments. In the first season, tournaments were held in Delhi, Bangalore, Pune and Kolkota and proved to be hugely popular with consistent participation of over 100 players from around the country.

Winners photos from the event –