Mukesh Kumar rewrote the record books on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour when he not only won the season-ending Order of Merit crown for the fourth year in succession, but also by a record margin of Rs 9,08,000 over his nearest rival.
The man from Mhow won a staggering 10 titles during the 2002-03 season and aggregated a record-breaking Rs 2.177 million from 21 starts. Apart from the 10 victories, he also had eight other top-10 finishes, including four runner-up positions and two third place finishes. Such was Mukesh's dominance that he mopped up approximately 9.25 per cent of the total prize-money of Rs 23.50 million on Tour. Mukesh also held the previous record, of Rs 1.751 million, in the 2001-02 season, which gave him a margin of Rs 4,96,000 over the second-placed Feroz Ali.
Meerut's Digvijay Singh, in his fourth season as a pro, had three outstanding wins, and yet could only finish second with a season-ending tally of Rs 1.27 million.
The 2002-03 of the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour featured 24 tournaments and a total prize money of Rs 23.50 million, a record level in the history of the Tour. Interestingly, two players -- Mukesh and Digvijay -- crossed the million-rupee earnings in 2002-03, six earned more than Rs 800,000 and 23 players crossed the Rs 300,000 mark.
In 2001-02, 62 players had earned more than Rs 100,000, but thanks to Mukesh, the number was less this season.
Apart from the fact that the top-two players this season hail from small towns with almost no golfing history, and the reassertion of the role of Army courses in the development of golfing careers, the 2002-03 season Money List of the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour makes for some very interesting reading.
The third-ranked player, Feroz Ali of Kolkata, did not win even a single title throughout the year, and yet made it to No 3 with earnings of Rs 9,51,000, courtesy 14 top-10 finishes in 21 starts. Vijay Kumar of Lucknow won thrice but his move to play the Asian PGA Tour meant he could only play in 13 events and collected a total of Rs 8,66,000.
The new generation of golfers made a big impact in 2002-03 season. The talented 22-year-old Delhi golfer Ashok Kumar, considered by many as the future of Indian golf, finished fifth in his first full season as a professional, making Rs 8,61,000 from 20 starts, which included his maiden title at the Noida Open. Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia, the 24-year-old from Kolkata, was the man to beat in the closing part of the season as he won the Hero Honda Open West and HT ProGolf titles to aggregate Rs 8,26,000 in 20 tournaments and finished sixth in the Money List.
Uttam Singh Mundy of Kolkata, winner of Surya Nepal Masters this season, and Delhi's Arjun Singh, who successfully defended his Honda-Siel PGA Championship crown, were placed seventh and eighth respectively. Kolkata duo of Yusuf Ali and Rafiq Ali completed the top-10.
THE TOP 15 IN ORDER OF MERIT: 1. Mukesh Kumar (Mhow) Rs 21,77,402; 2. Digvijay Singh (Meerut) Rs 12,69,317; 3. Feroz Ali (Kolkata) Rs 9,51,105; 4. Vijay Kumar (Lucknow) Rs 8,66,590; 5. Ashok Kumar (Delhi) Rs 8,61,137; 6. SSP Chowrasia (Kolkata) Rs 8,26,397; 7. Uttam Singh Mundy (Kolkata) Rs 6,43,616; 8. Arjun Singh (Delhi) Rs 5,73,850; 9. Yusuf Ali (Kolkata) Rs 5,66,037; 10. Rafiq Ali (Kolkata) Rs 5,19,988; 11. Shiv Prakash (Kanpur) Rs 4,98,592; 12. Rahil Gangjee (Kolkata) Rs 4,88,920; 13. Shamim Khan (Delhi) Rs 4,85,099; 14. Gaurav Ghei (Delhi) Rs 4,80,530; 15. Amritinder Singh (Chandigarh) Rs 4,33,327.
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