Second consecutive tournament of the Challenge Tour in India where The Challenge presented by KGA is held from 28 to 31 March on the same course as the Karnataka Golf Association, in Bangalore, where the previous Duncan Taylor Black Bull Challenge was held, won by the home pro Om Prakash Chouhan.
Challenge Tour, schedule
In the tournament, organized in collaboration with the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India, Lorenzo Scalise, Andrea Pavan, Lorenzo Gagli, Stefano Mazzoli, Matteo Manassero and Gregorio De Leo will once again be on the field.
There are still a preponderant number of home players with Chouhan who will try to concede an encore and with many others who will try to imitate him, including Aman Raj, M Dharma, Udayan Mane, former number one of the Indian order of merit, and the current leader Sachin Baisoya.
In the field the English Ashley Chesters and the Spanish Victor Pastor, overtaken in the sprint by Chouhan, the Swede Rikard Karlberg, the Welsh Oliver Farr and the shaken Craig Howie and Liam Johnson, all appeared in good condition, but an obligatory place among the favorites go to Scalise, Pavan and Gagli.
The former, leader last Sunday after three rounds, finished in fourth place, finishing among the top five for the third consecutive time. Pavan, eighth, signed the second top 10 of the season and Gagli found the right rhythm after a quiet start to the year.
Particularly confident is Scalise, 27 years old from Vimercate (MB), looking for his first title on the circuit and one of the most popular in the predictions of the eve. “The latest results show that I’m on the right track – he declared – and I hope to repeat myself again this week and beyond.
For the next races I won’t change my strategy much. I will continue to work on the details with my team and focus on the mental aspect. It will also be important to balance my life away from the golf course, gauging my strength and taking breaks when needed.
I’m getting more mature and I really hope this is my year. I’m looking for my first success and recent events have made me aware of my possibilities, but I’m also learning how to behave in the decisive moments to achieve it”. The prize pool is 300,000 dollars (about 278,000 euros).
