Arjuna awardee and star Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar won the outstanding achievement as a player award at the fourth edition of the annual India Golf Industry Association (GIA) awards at the Delhi Golf Club. The GIA awards were held along with the 8th India Golf & Turf Expo (IGTE), South Asia’s largest golf trade show. Kapurthala-born Bhullar won the 2018 Fiji International, a European Tour event, and also holds the rare distinction of becoming the youngest golfer on the Asian Tour to achieve nine career victories on tour.

Vijay Divecha and Nonita Lal Qureshi were awarded for their contribution to golf coaching. While Divecha has coached star golfers, like Anirban Lahiri, Chikkarangappa and Udayan Mane; Qureshi, a fomer Arjuna awardee, is known for her contribution to the sport in India as an international player and then as coach to several top ladies and junior golfers who have performed outstandingly on the international circuits.

Apart from individual awards, some other prominent awards presented include the ‘First 18 Holes International Standard Golf Course Development by a Smart City in India’ to The Naya Raipur Development Authority. In Naya Raipur, 27 per cent of land is devoted to greenery and the region’s environmental policies make it the first Greenfield Smart City in India.

The Royal Calcutta Golf Club and Eco Park, Kolkata, won the prestigious ‘Best Member Engagement Programme’ award for its successful Royal Premier Golf League and the ‘Best New Nine-Hole Golf course’ awards, respectively.