Gurgaon, Sep 15 : The cream of Indian golf comprising defending champion Gaganjeet Bhullar, former champion Jyoti Randhawa and C. Muniyappa will tee-off Thursday at the annual DLF Masters, which has now become a marquee event on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

The tournament, now in its fourth year, boasts of its highest ever prize purse of Rs. 9.5 million. The event will be played at the DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, Sep 16-19.

Besides the likes of Bhullar, Randhawa and Muniyappa, the tournament will feature some of the biggest names in Indian professional golf including Anirban Lahiri (the 2009 Rolex Rankings champion), SSP Chowrasia (winner on European Tour in 2008), Mukesh Kumar (current Rolex Rankings leader), Asian Tour winners Gaurav Ghei, Harmeet Kahlon, Rahil Gangjee, Himmat Singh Rai, Ashok Kumar, Shamim Khan, Amandeep Johl and Digvijay Singh.

Randhawa returns to his home course to play in his first PGTI event of the 2010 season.

Bhullar took the last edition of the tournament by storm as he ended with a score of 15 under 273 to record a handsome five-stroke victory comes on the back of a top-10 finish, as do Lahiri and Chowrasia, who all tied for eighth on the Asian Tour event, the Handa Classic in Singapore.

"We are indeed proud to be associated with the PGTI and keenly look forward to hosting the fourth edition of the DLF Masters," said Aakash Ohri, Director, DLF Golf Resorts Ltd.

"DLF has made considerable strides in promoting the game of golf and we are now in the process of creating greater infrastructure. We continue to promote junior golf through our Academy and support individuals who wish to pursue their talent," said Ohri.

"The PGTI 2010 schedule has delivered exciting golf till date. As we tee up for the 9.5 million rupee prize purse DLF Masters, the stakes are far higher, as the top four PGTI Order of Merit players as on Oct 15, 2010 will get automatic spots in the $ 6 million Barclays Singapore Open to be played in November 2010," said Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI.

The tournament's unique format is another added attraction. Professionals team up with amateurs to compete for the team championship on the last two days. Each team comprises of two professionals and one amateur and the team score is calculated by taking into account the two best scores out of three on a hole-by-hole basis. The format gives the amateurs a taste of the fiercely competitive nature of professional golf.

The DLF Masters 2010 will be played at the Arnold Palmer-designed DLF Golf & Country Club, quite easily the leading golf course in the country.(IANS)