Bangalore, Sep 16 (IANS) David D’Souza sealed his spot in the Indian team for the World Golfers Championship in Durban with an impressive score of 37 points that he achieved on the first day of the Toyota Karnataka Golf Festival.
Some of the top amateur Indian golfers were among the 450 players who competed for a ticket to South Africa in the four-day event which ended here Sunday. It was supported by the tourism department and powered by Mantri Developers.
The team to participate in Durban was selected on the basis of the best scores in each of five handicap categories at the KGA course.
Joining D’Souza from the 6-10 Handicap category is Utpal Desai, who was a previous entrant to the World Golfers Championship in 2010. He scored 37 points on Day 1.
Balasabrumanya R. in the 11-15 category with 42 points on Day 1, Sudhir Krishnaswamy with 41 points in the 16-20 category and Rajiv Sethi from the 21-24 category with 38 points complete the team of five that will travel to the world championship scheduled from Oct 26 to Nov 2.
D’Souza said: “My first experience at the World Golfers Championship a few years ago was remarkable and it is amazing to be an ambassador of your country at a global tournament. This year, backed by a great team of enthusiastic players, I am really hoping that each one of us, individually and as a team, can make the nation proud by going all the way.”
Apart from the opportunity to represent India, Balasubramanya, along with his partner Amit Japuria, each won a week-long trip on the luxurious Golden Chariot train, sponsored by the Karnataka Department of Tourism, having as a team scored a total score of 79 points on the first day of the festival.
Overall winners:
Category 0-5: David D’Souza – 37 points. Category 6-10: Utpal Desai – 37 points. Category 11-15: Balasubramanya R. – 42 points. Category 16-20: Sudheer Krishnaswamy – 41 points. Category 21-24: Rajeev Sethi – 38 points. Overall winning team: Amit Japuira and Balasubramanya R. – 79 points.