Twenty top players from the Women’s Golf Association of India’s Pro Golf Tour will team up with senior corporate leaders and executives and sports personalities on Women’s Day, March 8, in the inaugural Women’s Celebrity Pro-Am at the Classic Golf & Country Club in Gurgaon.
Amongst the professionals who have confirmed participation on Saturday are current WPGT Order of Merit leader Sneha Singh, second-placed Vani Kapoor who won the Mumbai leg of the pro tour last month, number three Jasmine Shekar, Amandeep Drall, Neha Tripathi, Shweta Mansingh, and Khushi Khanijau.
In a statement the organisers, Queens of Golf, said the event was created in partnership with the Women’s Golf Association of India to celebrate and empower women golfers while raising awareness and support for their professional journeys.
Said Saket Mansingh, Queens of Golf founder, “We want to bring about a change in how women’s golf is perceived and supported in our country and provide a platform to our hardworking women golfers, where their talents and contributions to the sport are duly recognised.
“The golfers work extremely hard to rise up the ranks from the amateur golfers to become professionals. It takes extreme dedication, hard work and personal sacrifices to be a top professional. Unfortunately, the recognition and financial rewards they receive in India is disproportionately low compared to their merit.
“I am inspired by the success of women’s tour, not only in USA and European countries but also in countries like South Korea. We can try to replicate this. I am hopeful that women’s golf in India will pick up just as women’s cricket and badminton has grown in recent years and how the men’s golf tour in India has grown recently.
“We aim to secure support from more corporate entities to promote women’s golf. I want to sincerely thank Hero MotoCorp and DLF for their continued support to women’s golf in India for so many years. I also want to thank Amazon, HSBC, Grant Thornton, Gatorade, MG Motors, and Thriwe for their support in for organising this event.
“The biggest challenge is lack of sponsorship and recognition. Hero MotoCorp has single handedly supported the women’s tour for so many years and it is thanks to organisations like the WGAI and DLF that the game is growing in India. But to take it to next level, we will need more corporates to step in to sponsor the individual athletes.”
The event features a Pro-Am format where participants will team up with a professional woman golfer who will also compete in a stroke play format for individual awards, showcasing their skills and competitive spirit.
“We are indeed delighted to partner with the Queens of Golf for the inaugural edition of the Women’s Celebrity Pro-Am, to be staged fittingly on Women’s Day. This is not just a golf event, it is a celebration of women’s empowerment through sport and a means to showcase the immense depth of their talent,” said WGAI president Kavita Singh.