For 21-year-old Bhanupratap Singh, who participated in the just-concluded CG Open as a professional, it’s a sport he hopes to make a living out of.
If you thought golf was only a pastime for retired corporate honchos (in India, that is), think again. For 21-year-old Bhanupratap Singh, who participated in the just-concluded CG Open as a professional, it’s a sport he hopes to make a living out of.
The Dilliwallah, who took to clubs at the age of 16, is going through an exciting first year playing Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) tournaments. He expects to earn around Rs1 lakh by the end of this year. For this ‘army kid’, golf is “very rewarding”.
Many youngsters are looking at golf as a serious career option because of the money. The PGTI, with over 300 players, conducts around 25 tournaments every year. And the total prize money riding on these events is Rs40 crore. “Even if you play, say, four PGTI events in a year and finish in the top 50, you can easily make Rs3 lakh,” Singh says.
Chiragh Kumar, the 2011 PGTI Player of the Year, says, “A lot of youngsters are now getting opportunities to play, perform and make money. Earlier, only the top 10-15 players used to make any money. The scene has changed now.”
Kumar, who started playing golf at the age of 12 (he is 28 now), says there are a lot of incentives for youngsters. “Youngsters can easily make Rs2-3 lakh to begin with. And if you have one good tournament, you can earn some big money,” he adds. A case in point is 21-year-old Rashid Khan, whose PGTI earnings for the year stand at Rs23,22,322.
PGTI director Uttam Singh Mundy also lends perspective. “The scenario has changed drastically in the past five to seven years. Youngsters see a serious career in the sport because of the prize money involved. Golf is definitely bigger than tennis or football in India, at least in terms of the money involved.”
And players are optimistic. “Golf is picking up in a big way in India. The gap between the pros and amateurs is shrinking and a lot of Indians are taking part in international tournaments,” Kumar says. “When I started playing golf, I used to hate it. But now, I can’t live without it,” adds Singh.
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