Well now that Aditi Ashok has introduced you to the game of Golf, let us explain the game to you in some more detail. We will also let you know how to follow top Indian golfers going ahead. Let your interest in Golf be not a one event affair…
Objective of a Golf Game: The objective is to get the least score after 3/4 rounds (depending on tournament). Each round in a golf game consists of a 18 hole course. All the 18 holes have pre-defined par score. Par score is the number of shots you are expected to complete the hole in. Par score is dependent on the length and difficult of a hole course.
In Golf, each score has a different name. If par score for a hole is 4 and a player completes it in 3, it is called a birdie. Similarly, here are other scores…
-1: Birdie
-2: Eagle
-3: Albatross
+1: Bogey
+2: Double Bogey
Player with the least score wins the tournament. In tournaments on the Golf tour, a tournament generally consists of 4 rounds. Tournaments on the tour follow an elimination format. Top 60-70 players (depending on tournament rules) make the CUT after 2 rounds. This means if 150 players entered the tournament, everyone plays first 2 rounds. Based on score after first 2 rounds, top 60-70 players play the 3rd and 4th round.
Here is a small video explaining the sport of Golf in brief:
The Tournaments in Golf
Tournaments in Golf take place round the year. A typical golf tournament is played over 4 days. It generally starts on Thursday and ends on Sunday.
Golf follows the concept of different tours. So, golf tournaments are played on different tours..i.e PGA Tour, European Tour, Asian Tour. For people familiar with tennis, it is somewhat similar to the ATP Tour and WTA Tour where players play different tournaments around the globe.
The major tours in Golf are:
- 1. PGA Tour for Men/LPGA Tour for Women: This is the highest level of tour. Top ranked players acroos the world play this tour. It also has the highest prize money. Tournaments are played mostly across North America in the PGA/LPGA tour. Aditi Ashok plays on the LPGA tour. In Men’s Golf, Anirban Lahiri plays on the PGA tour.
2. European Tour: Tournaments are generally scheduled in Europe. Shubhankar Sharma plays on Men’s European tour. Diksha Dagar and Tvesa Malik plays on the Ladies European tour.
3. Apart from the above 2 tours, there are other tours like Asian Tour, Japan Golf tour, Korean Golf tour.
The Majors in Golf:
Just like tennis has 4 Grand Slams in an year, Golf has majors in the year.
In Men’s Golf, there are 4 majors during the year. The top-ranked golfers play these majors.
Majors in Men’s Golf
Masters – It takes place in April at the prestigious Augusta Golf Club in Georgia, US
PGA Championship – It happens in May and takes place at one of the golf courses in US.
US Open – It takes places in US an the month of June
The Open Championship – It takes place in July in UK.
Unlike Men’s Golf, Women’s Golf has 5 majors during the year.
Majors in Women’s Golf
ANA Inspiration: It is played during March-April at Mission Hills Country Club in California.
US Women’s Open: It is played in May-June and takes place at one of the golf courses in US.
Women’s PGA Championship: It is played in June.
The Evian Championship: It is played in July in France.
British Open: It is played in August at one of the golf courses in UK.
Other prominent golf tournaments include Ryder Cup (tournament between Men’s Team Europe and Team USA), Solhiem Cup (tournament played between Women’s Team USA and Team Europe), Presidents Cup (tournament played between Team USA and Team Rest of the World {excluding Europe}). These tournaments occur once in 2 years.
Who are the top ranked Indian players right now? (Data as on August 2021)
Men: Anirban Lahiri (294), Udayan Mane (390), Gaganjeet Bhullar (401)
Women: Aditi Ashok (200), Tvesa Malik (366), Diksha Dagar (410)
How can I watch Golf tournaments?
Many golf tournaments are telecasted on Eurosport in India. Besides this, tournaments are LIVE on the Golf Channel (subscription required).
Let your tryst with Golf be not limited to the Olympics. Try and follow it round the year. It is a great sport to watch on a weekend.
We at The Sportsgram India regularly post updates regarding Indian players performance across tours. Do follow our Twitter account for updates on Golf – @SportsgramIndia
A concluding point: The author of this article fell in love with the sport of Golf after watching the 2012 Ryder Cup. It had sports drama like no other. That tournament is now famously referred as the Miracle in Medinah. If you are interested in that tournament, do watch its documentary. It is available online.
