Showers on Saturday evening did nothing to dampen the mood at The Tollygunge Club, where golfers teed off on Sunday morning for the final day of The Tolly Cup golf in association with The Telegraph.

The audience greeted the winners with loud cheers and applause.

Since February 17, when the tourney began with 630 golfers, the club has worn a “carnival” look.

“It is the climax of the golf season before summer sets in. With golfers from all over eastern India, this Cup has a significant place on our golfing calendar,” smiled Anil Mukerji, managing member, The Tollygunge Club.

The curtains came down with a gala prize distribution for The Tolly Cup, divisions A, B, C and D, the Best Gross Score and the Best Net Score. Club president Aniruddha Lahiri was among those who gave away the prizes.

The tournament did draw golfers from way beyond the boundaries of Bengal. “We have some players from Jamalpur. People also come from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Jamshedpur. A lot of them try to plan their holidays keeping the dates in mind. It is a fun tournament,” said golfer Indrajit Bhalotia, who helps the club in “running the tournament” apart from running the junior golf programmes.

t2 met two young golfers on the sidelines of the meet: Devansh Chadha (right), No. 5

in the national juniors, and Tutul Ali, No. 3 at the same level. “I was seven when I started. I don’t like rough games. My father used to play golf as well, which is why I took to it. The best thing about golf? Having fun! My favourite golfer is Arjun Atwal,” said 10-year-old Devansh, a New Alipore resident.

As for Tutul, golf is his life. “I have been playing for the last eight years. My whole family is into golf. My favourite player is Feroz Ali. Spin bahut maarta hai,” smiled the 14-year-old Bikramgarh resident.

Text: Saionee Chakraborty
Pictures: Bishwarup Dutta