Clash of Titans: Anirban Lahiri, SSP Chowrasia, Rashid Khan to vie for Best Golfer title at India Golf Awards

New Delhi, February 12, 2015: Ace golfers Anirban Lahiri, SSP Chowrasia and Rashid Khan will vie for the prestigious Best Golfer Award during the much-awaited second edition of the Take Solutions India Golf Awards that will recognise the best of the Indian golfing talent in a gala ceremony on February 16.

The India Golf Awards, powered by golfingindian.com, is the country’s foremost awards for recognizing and rewarding golf excellence. After due diligence and tough screening, the jury announced nominations under various categories.

In the best female golfer category, Neha Thripathi, Simi Mehra, Vani Kapoor, Ankita Tiwana and  Sharmila Nicolet made it to the final cut.

“Recognising meritorious sportspersons who have strived beyond boundaries in achieving benchmarks is laudable. These awards are doing a great effort in promoting the sport and rewarding excellence that can only have a positive impact on future generations of Indian Sportspersons,” said Champika Sayal, Secretary General, omen's Golf Association of India and Jury member.

This year the Jury was kicked off by five-time British Open winner Peter Thomson and conducted by a team of solid golf veterans that included Arjuna Awardee and former golf champion Ashok Malik, pro tour golfer Gaurav Ghei and Champika Sayal of Women’s Golf Association of India. The Jury, which is always led by a star legend, was championed last year by Gary Player.

“In its second year, India Golf Awards has grown much bigger. We received far more nominations this time compared to what we got last year. This huge response shows that the sport is gaining ground in the country with more people, apart from professional ones, willing to learn the nuances and nitty gritties of the game. Our move to honour golf infrastructure and golf enthusiasts too have made a significant impact in the sport’s promotion,” said Shaili Chopra, curator of India Golf Awards and Founder of GolfingIndian.com. Ms Chopra is an award winning journalist, author and entrepreneur.

Other than from professional golfers, the awards also recognize the golfing business community, budding talent, celebrities and bureaucrats who play the sport, with the objective to promote the game in the country.

The awards will see Chikkarangappa S, Khalin Joshi and Shubhankar Sharma take on each other for best rising golfer in the male category, while Shweta Galande, Vaishavi Sinha and Gursimar Budhwal will be fighting for the title in the female segment. Interestingly the Awards converge online with the offline by conducting a voting poll on golfingindian.com for the country’s most popular golfer making this a very exciting digital space to watch for.

The grandeur of India Golf Awards lies in the fact that it not only celebrates the best talent, but also the best of golf infrastructure in the country. To honour brilliant golf infrastructure, several nominations under the category too have been announced.

For the best golf academy, the battle will be between Jaypee Greens, Tollygunge Academy, Delhi Golf Club, Touche Golf and Chandigarh Golf Range Academy. Jaypee Greens will also lock horns with Kensville, ITC Classic Golf Resort, Royal Calcutta and Kalhaar Blues & Greens for the best golf course in the country. For best golf real estate, the competition will be between Champion Reef Bangalore, Jaypee Greens, Kensville and Prestige Golfshire.

The awards will also honour those who play the sport as a hobby, but do so with utmost sincerity. Papa CJ, Neelam Rudy, Latika Khaneja, Murali Kartik, ace fashion designer Nikhil Mehra, Abbas Ali Baig and JJ Singh have been nominated for best celebrity golfer this time.

The February 16 event will have in attendance Power Minister Shri Piyush Goyal as the chief guest. Top golf seeders led by Anirban Lahiri, Arjun Atwal and Shiv Kapur along with special guests of honour and top CEOs will be present at the event.