DGC to play par-71 for EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters

New Delhi, Oct 15 (UNI) The historic Delhi Golf Club (DGC), host to the first ever and the richest event -- the EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters -- will play to par-71 instead of the existing par-72.

The EMAAR-MGF Indian Masters, boasting a prize-fund of 2.5 million dollar, will be the richest golf event ever to be held in India and is slated to be held from February 7 to 10 next year.

While expressing his happiness over the condition of the course in preparation for the Masters, visiting European Tour Tournament Director Jose Maria Zamora said that since the course was a bit short for European Tour standards, the par-5 14th would play as a par-4.

''This is my first visit to the venue and so far the course looks to be in very good condition,'' said Zamora. ''However with the length of the course a bit short we really want to ensure it provides a good test to the players. Hence we have decided to make one of the holes into a long par-4 instead of the playing it as a regular par-5,'' he added.

Zamora, while, inspecting the course also hinted at narrowing the fairways a bit. ''As it is the DGC already plays pretty tough with the famous jhadis and thick bushes on both sides of the fairways, which is the golf course's trade mark. We want to narrow the fairways a touch more, at least to the first cut so as to make it more competitive.'' The Tournament Director also said that the greens would be fast paced and should have a speed of about 10.5 on the stimpmeter. ''We are contemplating of making the greens harder and growing in thick rough around the greens. This will call for accuracy from the players.'' UNI