Cricket legend Kapil Dev takes over as Professional Golf Tour of India president

Deepening his growing links with the game in India, 1983 cricket World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has taken over as president of the Professional Golf Tour of India, the apex body for the men’s domestic game, marking a new page in its growth.

Kapil is an excellent golfer himself and represented the country at the senior amateur level with some distinction and was previously the vice-president and member of the PGTI’s governing body for the last three years. In this time he has played a part in shaping and developing Indian professional golf along with the core team of the PGTI.

“It is an honour to become president of the PGTI, an organisation with which I have now been associated for quite a few years. It is a player’s body, and I am great friends with all of them and with whom I often play,” the cricket legend was quoted as saying in a statement.

“And now it is the sport where I spend most of my time. I have been a vice-president and I am on the board, so it’s an honour to be chosen by the players to be the president. I promise to do my best, as I always have. What gives me even greater pleasure is that I will be able to spend more time with my golfing friends and play a little more.”

Kapil has been involved in efforts to get more funds into the men’s professional game and hosts a mixed Pro-Am event that also has a number of women pro golfers participating for the last few years in the form of the Rs 2 crore Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon.

Amongst his priorities in the new role, Kapil aims to further the transformation of professional golf, recognizing and building the many positive initiatives already underway in the PGTI for its member-players.

The former India captain’s celeb status has seen him being invited to events like the Dunhill Links, where he played alongside other global celebrities. “Golf is a great sport. You can play it till any age and it is an amazingly relaxing sport. I am busy with cricket often, but it a golf course I go to for relaxation. I am fortunate to be able to serve golf and I want to take it to new levels,” he added.

Said PGTI chief executive Uttam Singh Mundy of the development, “We are honoured to have Indian sports icon Kapil Dev take over as the president. We are confident that the PGTI will scale greater heights under his astute leadership as his name has been synonymous with excellence in sports.

“His valuable experience as a professional sportsman and an accomplished golfer will be an asset for the PGTI, paving the way for the further growth of Indian professional golf. We wish Mr. Kapil Dev all the success.”

Over the years, he has developed close links with India’s top stars including fellow-Chandigarh legend Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal, Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur and many others.

Kapil played cricket for India from 1978 to 1994 in a career that spanned 131 Test matches and 225 one-dayers and during his successful 1983 campaign turned in one of the greatest innings in limited-overs cricket history, the turnaround 175 not out against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells that eventually led to Lords, and the World Cup.