First-ever mixed professional golf event is an eye-opener for some
The recent Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational at Prestige Golfshire near Bangalore brought together women and men professionals playing for the same purse for the first time.
- Apr 30, 2025,
- Updated Apr 30, 2025 8:11 PM IST
Edition Three of the Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational was held on April 22. 23 and 24 at the Prestige Golfshire Club near Bangalore was a pioneering initiative that brought together female and male professional golfers in a combined tournament for the very first time, and the results were a revelation of sorts for many.
Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema emerged winner at the Rs 2 crore tournament that also had a ProAm aspect to it, walking away with a Rs 30 lakh cheque, but it was the display by some of the 12 women professionals in the field that left many observers impressed, at the same time underlining the gap that exists between them and the men.
In all, 72 professionals, the leading 60 men on the Professional Golf Tour of India’s rankings and the top 12 from the Women’s Golf Association’s Hero Pro Golf Tour, played the three-day (54-hole) event. An added twist came in the format which mandated that 24 of the 72 would play one round each with a group of amateurs daily on a rotating basis.
In effect, this was a two-deck tournament with 48 professionals playing in groups of three in the morning and the remaining 24 playing in the afternoon alongside the amateurs. The lineup of pros playing the Pro-Am changed every day meaning that each of the 72 played an 18-hole round with the amateurs and the remaining 36 alongside their fellow professionals.
The 12 who represented the WGAI were (in finishing order) event-topper Pranavi Urs, Hitaashee Bakshi, Jasmine Shekar, Avani Prashanth, Vidhatri Urs, Sneha Singh, Tvesa Malik, Ridhima Dilawari, Vani Kapoor, Amandeep Kaur Drall, and Seher Atwal. In the final standings, Pranavi was tied for 18th in the field of 72, Hitaashee took a share of 26th place and Jasmine tied for 41st with the others distributed further down the leaderboard.
All in all, it would have been a novel experience for many in the field, and certainly the 12 women who not only had to play a full-fledged tournament against the men for the same prize purse for the first time but also manage the pace of play enforced by the presence of three amateurs in each of their groups which would have been quite different to what they would be used to on the pro tours.
Observed WGAI secretary-general Champika Sayal, who has been a force behind the steady growth of the women’s tour, “The hard-fought battle between Pranavi and Hitaashee was nail-biting, but India’s more experienced Ladies European Tour players did not perform to their potential.”
Added event winner Cheema, who won his third PGTI title and the second in two years, “The format involving the lady professionals and amateurs adds a new dimension to the contest and makes it a lot of fun. It makes this week way less stressful than other weeks for the men professionals.
“Playing alongside amateurs while competing for the main prize is a challenge and I feel that I handled that well. I was also fortunate to have very cooperative amateurs in my group.
On the final day, the 35-year-old set aside any possible distractions, dominating proceedings with a sublime 6 under par 66 that saw him total 20-under 196 for the 54-hole event as he chased down the clubhouse lead set by Bangalore’s Khalin Joshi in the morning wave and win by a two-stroke margin.
“Playing in the afternoon session, I had a number to aim at as Khalin had set the mark at 18-under after the morning session. That helped me plan the round. I putted really well through the week and made some clutch putts today.
“I’ve been playing well this year but that did not reflect in my results. However, I was in good rhythm over the last three events and the momentum kept building coming into this event,” added Cheema whose last win came at the 2024 Vizag Open and ended a 11-year wait for victory
Edition Three of the Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational was held on April 22. 23 and 24 at the Prestige Golfshire Club near Bangalore was a pioneering initiative that brought together female and male professional golfers in a combined tournament for the very first time, and the results were a revelation of sorts for many.
Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema emerged winner at the Rs 2 crore tournament that also had a ProAm aspect to it, walking away with a Rs 30 lakh cheque, but it was the display by some of the 12 women professionals in the field that left many observers impressed, at the same time underlining the gap that exists between them and the men.
In all, 72 professionals, the leading 60 men on the Professional Golf Tour of India’s rankings and the top 12 from the Women’s Golf Association’s Hero Pro Golf Tour, played the three-day (54-hole) event. An added twist came in the format which mandated that 24 of the 72 would play one round each with a group of amateurs daily on a rotating basis.
In effect, this was a two-deck tournament with 48 professionals playing in groups of three in the morning and the remaining 24 playing in the afternoon alongside the amateurs. The lineup of pros playing the Pro-Am changed every day meaning that each of the 72 played an 18-hole round with the amateurs and the remaining 36 alongside their fellow professionals.
The 12 who represented the WGAI were (in finishing order) event-topper Pranavi Urs, Hitaashee Bakshi, Jasmine Shekar, Avani Prashanth, Vidhatri Urs, Sneha Singh, Tvesa Malik, Ridhima Dilawari, Vani Kapoor, Amandeep Kaur Drall, and Seher Atwal. In the final standings, Pranavi was tied for 18th in the field of 72, Hitaashee took a share of 26th place and Jasmine tied for 41st with the others distributed further down the leaderboard.
All in all, it would have been a novel experience for many in the field, and certainly the 12 women who not only had to play a full-fledged tournament against the men for the same prize purse for the first time but also manage the pace of play enforced by the presence of three amateurs in each of their groups which would have been quite different to what they would be used to on the pro tours.
Observed WGAI secretary-general Champika Sayal, who has been a force behind the steady growth of the women’s tour, “The hard-fought battle between Pranavi and Hitaashee was nail-biting, but India’s more experienced Ladies European Tour players did not perform to their potential.”
Added event winner Cheema, who won his third PGTI title and the second in two years, “The format involving the lady professionals and amateurs adds a new dimension to the contest and makes it a lot of fun. It makes this week way less stressful than other weeks for the men professionals.
“Playing alongside amateurs while competing for the main prize is a challenge and I feel that I handled that well. I was also fortunate to have very cooperative amateurs in my group.
On the final day, the 35-year-old set aside any possible distractions, dominating proceedings with a sublime 6 under par 66 that saw him total 20-under 196 for the 54-hole event as he chased down the clubhouse lead set by Bangalore’s Khalin Joshi in the morning wave and win by a two-stroke margin.
“Playing in the afternoon session, I had a number to aim at as Khalin had set the mark at 18-under after the morning session. That helped me plan the round. I putted really well through the week and made some clutch putts today.
“I’ve been playing well this year but that did not reflect in my results. However, I was in good rhythm over the last three events and the momentum kept building coming into this event,” added Cheema whose last win came at the 2024 Vizag Open and ended a 11-year wait for victory