Former Indian seamer, Ajit Agarkar along with his team mate Shabbir Rawjee finished Tied 5th at the World Finals of World Corporate Golf Challenge held at Oitavos Dunes Links, Cascais- Just outside Lisbon, Portugal on June 23 & 24, 2016.
Shabbir Rawjee and Ajit Agarkar winners of BMR World Corporate Golf Challenge India
Ajit Agarkar and Shabbir Rawjee, playing off handicaps 17 and 19 respectively had a tough first day as they finished Tied 21st with 47 stableford points in the testing windy conditions & quick undulating greens of Oitavos Dunes Links. Second day marked a remarkable comeback from the Indian contingent with Ajit alone scoring 33 points & Shabbir following suit with another 30 points. This catapulted Team India to Tied 5th position on the final day with combined total of 110 stableford points. Team China triumphed with 123 stableford points.
Speaking after the tournament, Agarkar said, “It was a fantastic experience here in Portugal. It took us a day to get accustomed to the conditions but eventually on second day, Shabbir & I both produced some good golf to bring us closer to being in contention. We are happy with our performance. After so many years, it felt good to be part of Team India”
“For a golfer, no experience can be better that representing your country on the world stage among so many good golfers from various countries. I have enjoyed every bit of it and will always cherish this opportunity. We are happy to finish with a strong performance after a disappointing start on first day. It was my utmost pleasure to have Ajit Agarkar as my partner.”, stated an enthralled Shabbir Rawjee.
Over 6,300 corporate executives representing 3,150 teams competed for the coveted trophy in qualifiers throughout 35+ countries, 5 continents. The World Final saw a total of 38 country teams (76 golfers) battle it out for the coveted Trophy at prestigious Oitavos Dunes Links- ranked 58th in the world. WCGC is the biggest international corporate golf team event worldwide.
Team India consisting of Shashidhar Reddy and Sonam Chugh from Hyderabad won the 2015 World Corporate Golf Challenge in Portugal.
India made its competitive debut in WCGC in 1999 and 2016 marks the 17th year of its contention at the world stage.