Ryder Cup stars headline field

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Ryder Cup stars, including Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, Edoardo Molinari of Italy and Spaniard Ignacio Garrido, will be the star attractions in the fourth edition of the Avantha Masters, that tees off at the Jaypee Greens Golf Course in Great Noida next week.

Besides, England’s David Howell, Frenchman Thomas Levet and Welshman Philip Price will also vie for the top honours at the event, tri-sanctioned by the European Tour, the Asian Tour and the PGTI.
Between them, the six stars have amassed a total of 31 points in the biennial contest, with Montgomerie contributing most to the European cause with 23.5 points won in eight appearances as a player.
Molinari played under Montgomerie’s captaincy in Wales in 2010, winning one point out of a possible three as Europe survived a final day fight back to defeat the Americans 14½-13½.
Two-time European Tour champion Molinari will be making his debut in the Avantha Masters. “Part of the joy of playing golf for a living is travelling the world and experiencing new countries and different cultures, so I’m really looking forward to playing in the Avantha Masters for the first time next week,” Molinari said.
“I have heard that golf is getting bigger in India all the time, so I’m excited about experiencing the atmosphere and hopefully I can give a good account of myself.”
Molinari is one of 50 European Tour winners in the field, including one former European no. 1 in Montgomerie and four winners of the Asian Tour Order of Merit in Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee, the Indian duo of Jyoti Randhawa and Jeev Milkha Singh, and Liang Wenchong of China.
Randhawa and Jeev will lead the home challenge in Greater Noida, with Challenge Tour champions Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shiv Kapur and two-time European Tour champion S.S.P. Chowrasia also vying to take home the lion’s share of the euro 1.8 million prize purse.
Delhi’s Daniel Chopra will be teeing off at the event for the first time. The two-time US PGA Tour champion, who was born in Sweden but raised in India, will be bidding to capture his third pro title on home soil, having won the Indian Masters and the Indian PGA Championship in 1994.