Guwahati, Nov. 22: The sixth leg of the 2005-06 season of the Amby Valley PGAI Tour, the Indian Oil Xtra Premium Masters Golf, teed off at the Digboi golf links today. Several top professionals of the country combined together with local amateurs in a competitive Pro-Am event.

Played on a stableford format, each fourball had three amateurs playing alongside a professional. The team score was an aggregate of the pro?s score, plus the two best scores from among the three amateurs. The team members did not play in the same fourball that they teed off with.

Instead, the names were drawn randomly by the tournament committee after the final group teed off. The winning team, with a total of 111 points, comprised S.S.P. Chowrasia (pro), B.K. Sarma, B.S. Jaswal and Surajit Goswami. The runners-up team of Shamim Khan (pro), Col. A. Choudhary, Anjan Ghosh and L.W. Khongwir had a total of 106 points, while the second runners-up team consisted of Rahul Ganapathy (pro), Col. Sandeep Kumar, M. Ravishankar and Mridul Shyam.

Crystal trophies will be awarded to all the winners after the professional tournament ends on Saturday.

The main tournament will tee off tomorrow, with 92 professionals and three amateurs competing for a prize purse of Rs 10 lakh. Local man Ajay Baruah will take part in the tournament, apart from two other golfers from Assam ? Pritam Saikia, who is currently based in Calcutta, and Pradyumna Barbora from Delhi.

Mukesh Kumar, number 1 on the current Amby Valley Order of Merit list, is also the defending champion. He will hope to add to the three titles that he already has in his kitty, having won in 2001, 2002 and 2004.

Assam Oil Division executive director B.K. Sarma ceremonially teed off the event while Anjan Ghosh, adviser (security), Indian Oil, was the guest of honour at the inaugural ceremony. Indian Oil is hosting the meet for the seventh consecutive year.

Swimming record

Promising Assam swimmer Fariha Zaman set a new record on Tuesday in the ongoing National School Games (swimming) at Bangalore. She clocked 1.11 minutes in the under-17 100 metres backstroke at the meet, organised by the School Games Federation of India. She broke the earlier record of 1.12:47 minutes set by Sony Cyrac in 2001.

Basketball camp: The weeklong coaching-cum-selection camp of the Basketball Association of Assam for the state men?s and women?s teams got under way at the NF Railway courts in Maligaon in Guwahati on Tuesday for the East Zone meet, to be held at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack from December 1 to 4.

Athletics team: An 11-member Assam team for the 21st junior athletics nationals, to be held at Chennai from November 25 to 29, left for the city on Tuesday. The team comprises Gagan Barua, Anuj Bora, Jyotish Rahang, Debajit Bordoloi, Sushil K. Singh, Manjit Lawang, Nabin Saikia, Monalisha Bora, Ranjumoni Bora, Rita Panging and Priya Devi.

Soccer meet: The 56th senior inter-district football championship for the Khirod Baruah Trophy will kick off at Sarupathar under the Dhansiri District Sports Association on Wednesday. Hosts Dhansiri will play Bokakhat in the opening match. Only 16 districts have confirmed participation in the tournament.