New Delhi [India], May 7 (ANI): The Professional Golf Tour of India began its 2026 season with one of its strongest starts, staging 12 events carrying a total prize purse of Rs 14 crore (including the PGTI NexGen and excluding the Indian Open), highlighting a step-up in scale, prize money and format innovation, alongside wider international participation, new corporate partnerships and a stronger focus on the player pathway through NexGen events.

In the first half of the season, three tournaments each carried prize purses of Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 1 crore, while two marquee events offered prize purses of US$300,000 (approximately Rs 2.76 crore), among the highest on the domestic circuit, according to a press release.

During the year, DP World became the Title and Umbrella Partner of PGTI, while Axis Bank joined as the Official Banking Partner. PGTI lived up to its avowed focus of spreading golf across India by organising tournaments across Nava Raipur, Delhi, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Gurugram, Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad.

Key events included the SECL Chhattisgarh Open, DP World Players Championship powered by Urbana at Kolkata, Indorama Ventures Open Golf Championship and the PGTI Open, an event co-sanctioned with the Hotel Planner Tour.

The April calendar added further depth with three Rs 1 crore events, namely the Andhra Open Golf Championship 2026 at East Point Golf Club, Visakhapatnam, Boulders Classic at Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club, Hyderabad and the DP World Players Championship at Classic Golf & Country Club, Gurugram, Haryana.

PGTI also strengthened its professional golf development pathway through NexGen events, creating competitive opportunities for emerging professionals across centres such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Phillaur, a historic town in Punjab, and Patna, the release said.

The action-packed calendar and higher prize purses are expected to strengthen competitive depth, improve earning opportunities and enhance India's positioning on the global golf circuit.

The tour also engaged with public stakeholders on the role of golf in tourism promotion, regional development and sports infrastructure creation. The season also saw the launch of '72 - The League,' India's first franchise-based professional golf league, introducing a team format.

Taken together, the growth in events, sponsorship support, prize money, player earnings and pathway events points to the continued expansion of the professional golf ecosystem in India.

Kapil Dev, President of PGTI, said the expansion of tournaments and prize purses is creating greater opportunities for Indian professionals and raising the standard of competition.

PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl said the tour remains focused on building a deeper, more competitive platform with stronger international integration and improved earning opportunities for players. (ANI)