~Prize money of Rs 5 million~

~Top names in the field include Jyoti Randhawa, Ashok Kumar, Chiragh Kumar, Mukesh Kumar~

~Jyoti Randhawa to make his maiden appearance at the TATA Open~

The 10th Tata Open Golf is set to roll out at Jamshedpur from 24th-27th November, 2011. The five day event will be hosted at Beldih and Golmuri Golf Courses. The event is being held under the aegis of Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI); the sixth time in series. The Pro-Am will be played on 23rd November, 2011. The prize money for the event will be Rs 5 million.

The tournament boasts of an impressive field which includes the likes of India’s international star Jyoti Randhawa, defending champion Ashok Kumar, Rolex Rankings leader Chiragh Kumar, Mukesh Kumar, Rashid Khan, Shankar Das, Mithun Perera, Feroz Ali Mollah, Anura Rohana, Manav Jaini, Sanjay Kumar, Mandeo Singh Pathania, Vijay Kumar, Raju Ali Mollah, Shamim Khan, Digvijay Singh and Gaurav Ghei, to name a few.

The latest edition of the TATA Open will witness Jyoti Randhawa, a former Asia no. 1 and winner of nine international titles, make his maiden appearance at the tournament. Randhawa, one of the flag-bearers of Indian professional golf over the last decade and a half, has won titles on the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour and has been a regular on the European Tour for a number of years in his illustrious career.

The leading amateur from Jamshedpur, Karan Taunk, will also be seen in action. Karan is a promising young talent with professional golf in his sight. Unfortunately, Kurush Heerjee, another budding junior amateur from Jamshedpur, will be missed at this year’s TATA Open.

Mr H M Nerurkar, Managing Director, Tata Steel said in a message, “It is often said that sports is a way of life at Tata Steel. The concept that sport defines the character of a nation dates back to the Founder’s vision of ‘reserving large areas for football and hockey’ in a well-planned steel city. It would almost be a cliché to talk about Tata Steel’s contribution to sports in general and to golf in particular. If there is one sport that has taken on a cult-like proportion and is woven into the sporting fabric of the city, it is Golf. The game has captivated the imagination of young and old alike and is played with a lot of passion. The golfing tribe in our city has increased from just a few who were dedicated to the game to hundreds who have made golf a ‘life-statement. The game has weathered many a challenge, scaled many a peak and found resounding success.

The new 18 holed golf course is another feather in our cap that has earned admiration and envy of the golfing community. The Tata Open has proudly entered its 10th year proving that it has only grown stronger like vintage wine. The past ten years has seen the golf greens at Jamshedpur firmly put the Tata Open Golf Tournament on the golfing circuit of the country which has played host to some of the country’s top professional golfers. Tata Steel will continue in its endeavour to promote the cause of Golf and make Jamshedpur a destination of choice for the golfing greats of our country.”

Mr Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said, “We thank the TATA Group for their strong and continued support. Competing at the TATA Open has always been a challenging prospect for the professionals as it requires them to adapt to two different courses. We wish the players all the best and look forward to an extremely successful event.”

The Tata Open is unique in the sense that it will once again be staged at not one but two golf courses - Beldih and Golmuri. Both these courses are lush green, beautiful and very well-maintained, with the charming Dalma Hills in the background. While the 70-year-old Beldih golf course flaunts long fairways, Golmuri is a smaller, greener boutique course disallowing golfers any room for error.

About Tata Steel and Sports:
Established in 1907 as one of Asia’s first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the top-ten global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of over 28 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). It is now the world’s second most geographically diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50. The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of US$ 26.4 billion in FY '10, has over 80,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company. The Group's vision is to be the world’s steel industry benchmark in "Value Creation" and "Corporate Citizenship" through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct. Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspirational targets, safety and social responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency. In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management.

Tata Steel is the only Indian company to invest in world-class sports facilities, create academies and maintain and manage international level arenas. The cadets of its Tata Football Academy, the nursery for the sport in India, as well as those of the Tata Archery Academy, the only one of its kind for archery, have justified the faith that the Company has in the talent and ability of its youth. Today, a significant part of the Indian Football team, India’s best archers, some of its finest cricketers, athletes, shooters, a Grand Master and several national and international legends have realized their dreams as a result of the support they have received from TATA Steel Sports Academies.

About PGTI:
Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognized official body of professional golf in India. PGTI’s objective is to promote professional golf in the country as well as give players an opportunity to be involved in decision making for all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Gautam Thapar (President), PGTI’s governing body comprises of leading Indian golf professionals such as Jyoti Randhawa, Shiv Kapur, SSP Chowrasia, Digvijay Singh, Uttam Singh Mundy, Amritinder Singh and Ranjit Singh. PGTI currently has over 300 members.