The three-day long Governor’s Cup Golf Tournament concluded at the Raj Bhawan in Nainital on Sunday with Nusrat Abbasi being declared the gross winner. Uttarakhand Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi gave away prizes to winners in various categories.
A total of 150 golfers from across the nation had participated in this tournament. Of these, the Governor presented awards to 14 golfers for their performance in various categories. Satjeet Mehra won in the women’s category, Air Marshall (retd) KK Sanger won in the super senior veterans category, Karam Shrivastav won in the junior category while Shashank Dhuliya was awarded the youngest golfer title. Major Bhaskar Shah was awarded for maximum birdies and Ashish Jain for maximum pars among others in different categories.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion Qureshi thanked the event sponsors and co-sponsors while stating that nature was testing the event organisers for the past two years but the next tournament would be organised with greater enthusiasm. Expressing concern at the disaster last year stalling the pace of developmental works in the State, the Governor said that ensuring planned development can make Uttarakhand one of the best States in India. He expressed hope that those who had participated in the gold tournament here would act as brand ambassador of the Nainital Raj Bhawan Golf Club to publicise Uttarakhand as a destination for various sports. Stating that Nainital was being identified as a special tourist destination, Qureshi said that there were numerous avenues for capitalising on the tourism potential in the State. He said that the State Government should take effective measures for providing opportunities and nurturing the sporting talent in the State. Qureshi made various suggestions to being Nainital on the international sports map. He expected that the Sports Minister will ensure that the 125 year old tennis, squash and badminton courts at Nainital and Balrampur are renovated and their old grandeur restored to hold international level sports competitions there.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Sports Minister Dinesh Aggarwal said, “The golf tournament was also important from the tourism point of view. The State Government is making efforts to provide proper opportunities and facilities to talented sportspersons in Uttarakhand.”