Shubhankar Sharma, 2018 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, and Gaganjeet Bhullar, Indian on the on the Asian Tour with nine-titles, got their first feel of the newly renovated Delhi Golf Club (DGC) course on Saturday. They played a private round of Golf at the iconic venue and were joined alongside by cricket legend Kapil Dev and former India cricketer Murali Kartik. The match ended level at a score of -5. Gaganjeet Bhullar scored 70 on the par 72 course, whereas his partner Kapil Dev shot 76.
Kapil Dev, Shubhankar Sharma, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Murali Kartik giving the donation cheque to Magic Bus
Shubhankar Sharma recorded a score of 73 and his partner Murali Kartik also scored 76 in a closely fought match. Both the teams combined score was 5-under par for the round, with the match ending in a tie.
In the process, they also helped to raise Rs 45, 62,000 to aid the renowned charity organization Magic Bus in their efforts for COVID-19 relief.
Final scorecard from Champions for a Cause charity golf match
Speaking about his round and newly laid course, Shubhankar Sharma said, “It was really good to be travelling out and playing on a championship course after quite a break, It played really smooth and I congratulate the DGC and the entire team that came up with this fantastic effort, Looking forward to some top competition in the coming months and this round with such top athletes will do my confidence a world of good.”
Gaganjeet brushed away any talks of a non-competitive round commenting, “Well, if you have one of the the best young talents of World Golf in Shubhankar and legends like Kapil Paaji teeing off alongside, you know that no quarter is going to be given as far as the Sport part of it is concerned. And I guess that is visible after the round now. I was also very surprised to see how high on Golf skills Murali Kartik has become nowadays. Just goes to show that athletes across Sport share common traits. It was a refreshing experience today and we are glad we could contribute to a noble cause as well.”
Chennai based industrialist and veteran Golf enthusiast Dilip Thomas, had already committed to being the lead donor on the day. DCB Bank, Yaantra.com, SRF Foundation also emerged as generous contributors along with many private patrons of the game.
The round involving Shubhankar, Gaganjeet, Kapil and Murali wasere termed ‘Champions for a Cause- Charity Golf Match’.
This was the first domestic sporting activity to be played for television post the Covid-19 induced nationwide lockdown.
Rishi Narain, veteran Sports Marketer and Publisher and Editor of Golf Digest India (GDI), the Indian edition of the biggest global golf media brand and now owned and licensed by Discovery Networks in USA, handed over a cheque of INR45, 62, 500 to Magic Bus India, in the presence of officials of the Delhi Golf Club.
Highlights of the match will be broadcast on Saturday 18 July at 9.30 pm India time with repeats at 1 pm on Sunday 19th and Saturday 25th July in India on Eurosport, the channel which also showcases the PGA & LPGA Tours as well as Asian Tour in India. The highlights show will subsequently also be available on youtube. For more information go to indiagolfweekly.com or write to rishi@rnsportsmarketing.com.