Golf never sleeps, which is why after a superb season, India decided to hold a dinner and all-night-long celebrations in honour of her golfers who made her proud.
Rolex Player of the Year ceremony took place in New Delhi where professionals were invited from across the nation. Players from Cricket, Hockey, Volleyball, and various other sports were present at the grand bonfire.
Player of the Year award went to Ashok Kumar, who led the Order of Merit rankings in the current season. The rookie won four titles, including the DLF Masters and surged to the top of rankings in India. The player was awarded with the great title and plan
to join the Asian Tour in 2011. This will earn him a country exemption. However, despite that Kumar is eyeing a year in the Qualifying school for sponsorships.
The player worked as a caddie in a local golf club and turned professional in the current year. He banked Rs 5 million in the current season, which is a huge sum for a rookie.
Kumar was delighted over his achievement and told the press, “It has been a great year for me. I won four tournaments in the domestic tour and am very happy to win the Rolex Player of the Year. It is a very satisfying moment for me. I will
be playing in the qualifying rounds for the 2011 Asian Tour. Beside that I haven’t planned much for next season.”
Apart from him, Arjun Atwal, who represented Indian Flag in various tournaments, was honoured with lifetime membership with Professional Golf Tour of India. Sujjan Singh, Chiragh Kumar, Raju Ali Mollah, Vijay Kumar, Shankar Das, and Mandeo
Singh Pathania were given the award of ‘The Rolex First Time Winners’. The group carded their debut wins in their rookie year. Moreover, Abhishek Jha won the Emerging Player of the Year award and banked Rs 1.4 million in his rookie year on PGTI. Maniram Sharma
was honoured with the Order of Merit on the PGTI Feeder Tour and walked home with prize money of Rs 223,884.
The Player of the Year ceremony is an annual event, which takes place in December to salute the young guns for their achievements.
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