Golf in India

Indian professional golfer Jeev Milkha Singh after winning the 2008 Austrian Open.
Governing body	Indian Golf Union
First played	1829[1]
Registered players	215[2]
National competitions
Amateur Golf Championship of India All India Ladies Amateur Championship All India Seniors Golf Championship All India Junior Golf Championship[3]
International competitions
Indian Open

Golf in India is a growing sport. Golf is especially popular among the wealthier classes, but has not yet caught on with others due to the expenses involved in playing.

The most successful Indian golfers are Jeev Milkha Singh and Anirban Lahiri. Singh has won three titles on the European Tour, four on the Japan Golf Tour, and six on the Asian Tour. His highest world ranking to date is 28th, achieved in March 2009. Singh has won the Asian Tour Order of Merit twice. Meanwhile, Lahiri has two European Tour wins and seven Asian Tour wins. He qualified for the 2015 Presidents Cup.

Other Indians who have won the Asian Tour Order of Merit are Jyoti Randhawa in 2002 (the first Indian to achieve this)^[4] and Arjun Atwal, who went on in 2010 to become the first India-born player to become a member of the US-based PGA Tour and win the 2010 Wyndham Championship.^[5]

India's men's team won gold at the 1982 Asian Games. They also won silver at the 2006 Asian Games and 2010 Asian Games. Lakshman Singh won the individual gold medal at the 1982 Asian Games. Shiv Kapur won the individual gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games.

There are numerous golf courses all over India.^{[citation needed]} There is a Professional Golf Tour of India. The main tournament is the Hero Indian Open, co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour.

In addition to the commendable performances by the golf players of India, the Indian Golf Union (IGU) is making earnest efforts to improve the standard of the game in the country. Established in 1955, IGU made a significant decision in 1995, which gave rise to the birth of a separate body for the sport - Professional Golfers' Association of India (PGAI). Recent development in Indian golf is commencement of Indian Pitch and Putt Union, apex body of Pitch and Putt Golf in India, and membership of International Pitch and Putt Association. The effort of IPPU to support golf infrastructure in India is also appreciated by World Golf Foundation; In his letter to IPPU Secretary General Rakesh Purohit, Steve Mona, CEO of WGF, gave his support and encouraged the program of IPPU to develop Pitch and Putt Golf in India. The Indian Golf Union ( IGU ) and HVR SPORTS (Chairman: Harshavardhan Reddy) have come out with new schemes to grow the sport in India.^[6]