Another Mundy-Mukesh battle on the cards

Amidst mounting excitement of hosting their first ever professional event, golfing enthusiasts in the Steel City of Jamshedpur are eagerly anticipating a battle royale between Mukesh Kumar and Uttam Singh Mundy, when the Rs One million Tata Steel Open begins at the Beldih and Golmuri Club courses, in Jamshedpur, with a pro-am on Wednesday.

Despite the presence of several big names in Indian golf, the spotlight would be firmly trained on the two players. The Mhow-based Mukesh is enjoying the peachest of form, having won six and finished runner-up thrice in his last nine appearances on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour. On the other hand, Mundy won the Surya Nepal Masters last week in Kathmandu and hasn't been lacking in form either. To add to it, Mundy, who hails from Kolkata, is considered something of a local boy in Jamshedpur as he worked with Tinplate Company for several years.

Apart from Mukesh and Uttam,  top-10 players like Feroz Ali, Ashok Kumar, Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia and Rahul Ganapathy, who recently established the Tour record for the lowest score in a single round (12-under 60 at the Servo Masters), will also be seen in action. The locals are also eager to watch the veterans and such established names in Indian golf as Rohtas Singh, winner of over 100 professional titles in a career spanning 25 years; twice Indian Open champion Ali Sher and Kolkata's Basad Ali.

The Tata Steel Open, sponsored by Tata Steel, is the first ever professional event in Jamshedpur and will immediately record its name as the most unique tournament on the Tour. It will be played simultaneously on two nine-hole courses -- the Beldih Golf Club and the Golmuri Club course. The winner's cheque is worth Rs 1,62,000, while the runner-up will be richer by Rs 1,12,000.

"I am aiming for the gold. I have set an objective of winning at least ten titles this season and it would be great if I can add the Tata Steel Open title to that list. Also, I am bit charged up after the slip-up in the third round at Surya Nepal Masters, which took away the title from me," said a confident-looking Mukesh, who has been unstoppable ever since he switched to his new Callaway X-14 set of irons.

"It has been several years since I last played the Golmuri course, but I have experienced Beldih recently. I have a good knowledge of the course, but what is giving me more confidence is that I am playing extremely well at the moment," said the Eveready-sponsored Mundy, who jumped to seventh in the Money List after winning the Surya Nepal Masters last week.

The pro-am on Wednesday has drawn terrific response from the local golfers and will witness a record number of 32 teams, comprising one professional and three amateurs. The pro-am will be played on Stableford format, with nine holes at Beldih, followed by nine at Golmuri. The pro and the best two out of three amateur scores will count towards the team score.

The Tata Steel Open will be inaugurated by RK Pitamabar, a legendary name in Indian golf and winner of three All-India titles, and B Muthuraman, managing director, Tata Steel, and Bushen Raina, managing director, Tinplate Company, at 7:00 am.