Randhawa, Ghei confirm participation for Rs.65 Lakh DLF Masters

New Delhi, May 7 (UNI) Fresh from his Pine Valley Beijing Open victory, Gaurav Ghei will cross swords with junior pro Jyoti Randhawa in the Rs.65 Lakh DLF Masters which will tee off at the DLF Golf and Country Club here from May 10 to 13.

Ghei, who broke into the top 200 in world rankings last week, will have other tough competitors in PGTI highest earner in the season Ashok Kumar and Kolkata pro SSP Chowrasia.

''I am looking forward to playing the DLF Masters. The new format makes it more challenging and there will be a lot more at stake as players compete for the title as well as the team prize,'' said Ghei who is ranked 28th on the PGTI Order of Merit.

''And with one of the best fields so far in any tournament, the golf on display is bound to be exceptional,'' he added.

Randhawa is also in excellent form and he is heading into the DLF Masters after a victory at the AIS Open and a second place finish at the Open de Espana in Madrid where he narrowly missed winning his maiden European tour title.

''The race for the Order of Merit title is heating up and I would like to card a good finish this week to narrow the gap between Ashok and me,'' said Jyoti, who is currently placed second on the 2006-07 PGTI Order of Merit with Rs. 21,06,000 in earnings. He has played just two events on the PGTI tour and won both.

Meanwhile, Ashok Kumar is buoyed after winning the Crompton Greaves Open yesterday in Mumbai which took his earnings to a whopping Rs 38,52,000 this season and he has his eyes set on adding a DLF Masters title.

''I always play to win and plan to do the same thing next week. I believe in myself and my game is good so I have no doubts that I can continue my winning streak,'' said Ashok.

Also in the fray will be SSP Chowrasia, who maintains third place on the PGTI Order of Merit with Rs. 19,43,000 in earnings, and Harmeet Kahlon who is fourth with Rs.

14,91,200 and fifth-placed Digvijay Singh who have earned Rs. 13,04,820 so far in this season.

The DLF Masters will see almost all the professionals ranked amongst the top 50 on the PGTI Order of Merit.

Current 2006-07 PGTI Order of Merit: 1. Ashok Kumar Rs.38,52,000 2. Jyoti Randhawa Rs. 21,06,000 3. SSP Chowrasia Rs.19,43,000 4. Harmeet Kahlon Rs.14,91,200 5. Digvijay Singh Rs.13,04,820 6. Gaganjeet Bhullar Rs.11,63,500 7. Lam Chih Bing Rs.98,44,00 8. C Muniyappa Rs.88,80,00 9. Shamim Khan Rs.82,84,00 10. Vivek Bhandari Rs. 81,36,00 UNI