Keerthana, Arvind, and Putturaj are Royal Ranthambore BT Golf winners as season winds down

Keerthana Rajeev, Arvind Kumar and Putturaj B.N. helped bring the curtains down on the Royal Ranthambore Business Today Golf 2023-24 season at the seventh and final leg in Bangalore on Saturday.

While Keerthana (36 points) finished as the best in the women’s category at the par-70 Clover Greens Golf Course at Hosur, Arvind Kumar (37 points) and Putturaj (35 points) won the men’s 0 to 14 and 15 to 24 handicap categories respectively. 

Speaking at the prize distribution that followed the morning’s round, chief guest Tejasvi Surya, the Member of Parliament for Bangalore South said he was happy to be part of the occasion and pressed for more such events to be held in the metropolis.

“This perhaps the best city in the country to be hosting the BT Golf tournament, the only city that promises you a temperate climate through the year so I hope you will have more BT Golf events in our city,” Mr Surya said..

“Golf teaches you a lot of life lessons, it teaches you focus, persistence, and it is also a game that reminds you that you need to compete with yourself to make yourself better every time, Your real competition is you and how you get better every time. Congratulations to all those who won today and also to all the participants.

Finishing second in the two men’s events were Nagraj M.S. (0 to 14 handicap) with 36 points and Shantanu Jha (15 to 24 handicap) with 34 points. Both runners-up needed a countback on the back nine to decide placings, suggesting just how tight the competition was on the picturesque Clover Greens course.

Two new prizes were on offer at the closing event of the 2023-24 season, most birdies and most pars. While Varun Berry topped the first section with five birdies, a good measure of his short game and finishing, Anil Pandey underlined his consistency with nine pars in his round, a high number in an amateurs only competition.

Other winners on the day were Rajeev Kumar (Closest to pin, hole 4) with 4 feet, 8 inches, Praveen R. in the second closest to pin competition on hole 18 where he was 
two feet and three inches away, Anil Kumar who was the straightest hitter on the day, just one inch off the marker line, Dayamay Tiwari the longest hitter on hole 3 with a 277-yard drive, and Deepak C.S. on hole 12 with a 275-yard tee shot.

Launched in 1996 as a standalone single-city Pro-Am, BT Golf is now India’s most-desired corporate and celebrity gala event and the Bangalore leg underlines the immense interest from the movers and shakers of India’s business ecosphere in this by-invitation only event that is co-powered by Qatar Airways and IndianOil XO 100, with Bandhan Mutual Fund as Investment Partner, conglomerate partner Darwin, driven by Morris Garages, styling partner Zodiac and special partner GMDC. 

BT Golf is the latest addition to the Business Today Multiverse, a comprehensive media entity, with its arms comprising a magazine, a website, television, YouTube, and multiple social media channels.

Results

Men’s 0 to 14 handicap: 1. Arvind Kumar 37 points; 2. Nagaraj M.S. 36 points (on better back nine)
Men’s 15 to 24 handicap: 1. Putturaj B.N. 35 points; 2. Shantanu Jha 34 points (on better back nine)
Women’s: Keerthana Rajeev 36 points

On course prizes

Closest to pin, hole 4: Rajeev Kumar, 4 feet, 8 inches
Closest to pin, hole 18: Praveen R., 2 feet, 3 inches
Straightest drive, hole 16: Anil Kumar, 1 inch
Longest drive, hole 3: Dayamay Tiwari, 277 yards
Longest drive, hole 12: Deepak C.S., 275 yards
Most birdies: Varun Berry 5
Most pars: Anil Pandey, 9
Most stylish golfer: Sumit Rathore