Chandigarh, March 24, 2008: Centurion Bank of Punjab, one of India’s leading new generation private sector banks today announced their entry into the arena of Indian professional golf with the launch of the inaugural Centurion Bank of Punjab Open, an event organized in association with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), ‘the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India’.
The Centurion Bank of Punjab has made its first foray into the sport of golf with the acquisition of the property titled “Punjab Open”. This acquisition will help the Centurion Bank of Punjab become synonymous with professional golf in this part of the country.Mr Yateesh Srivastava, Marketing Director of the Centurion Bank of Punjab, said, “It gives me extreme pleasure to associate Centurion Bank of Punjab with the Centurion Bank of Punjab Open Golf Championship 2008. Golf is rapidly moving away from being an elite niche sport into a mainstream one as Indian golfers are winning laurels globally.” He added, “As one of the leading private sector banks in the Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh regions providing deposits, loans, NRI and Wealth Management Services – Centurion Bank of Punjab is delighted to provide its customers with an opportunity to watch and participate in an international standard golf tournament in the wonderful city of Chandigarh.”
The Rs 25 Lakh PGTI event will be staged at the Chandigarh Golf Club which boasts of one of the premier championship courses in the country. The inaugural Centurion Bank of Punjab Open will tee-off with the Pro Am event on March 26, 2008. This will be followed by the tournament from March 27 to March 30, 2008.The Centurion Bank of Punjab Open is expected to witness a grand contest as all the top professionals from the PGTI such as Digvijay Singh, Rahul Ganapathy, Shamim Khan, Arjun Singh, Mukesh Kumar, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Harmeet Kahlon, Amandeep Johl and Harendra Gupta to name a few would be competing at the event.
Ajai Gupta, Tour Commissioner of the PGTI, said, “PGTI has been able to create playing opportunities for its members due to the support of sponsors such as the Centurion Bank of Punjab. The Centurion Bank of Punjab Open will mark the beginning of a long-standing partnership between the Centurion Bank of Punjab and PGTI.” He added, “The acquisition of the property titled “Punjab Open” is a step towards developing this tournament into the most prestigious golfing event of this region. This acquisition is also in conformity with our long-term goal of promoting golf across various regions of the country.”
Chandigarh has been the cradle of Indian professional golf over the decades having produced top professionals such as Jeev Milkha Singh, Harmeet Kahlon, Amandeep Johl, Amritinder Singh, Ranjit Singh, Gurbaaz Mann and Harendra Gupta to name a few. The Centurion Bank of Punjab’s initiative will now give a further boost to the sport in this region. The first Centurion Bank of Punjab Open is being supported by Chandigarh Tourism Corporation, Chandigarh Golf Club, TaylorMade, Pepsico, Gatorade, Aquafina and Tropicana.