Guest Column: Of triumphs and a shared trophy, a roller-coaster Chandigarh Golf League

A month-long third edition of the Chandigarh Golf League (CGL) came to a close on Saturday with a spectacular finish. After a five-hole play-off necessitated by a tie also remained inconclusive, the cliffhanger match being played in front of a cheering crowd was called off due to bad light. The finalists, Captain 18 and Partee Panthers, were declared joint winners.
The tournament, akin to the cricket’s IPL, has caught the fancy of the region’s golfers and those looking to take up the sport. In the words of Brandon D’Souza, the energetic director and organiser of CGL, “Chandigarh exceeds our expectations of the way the sport is viewed here. It’s pure and abundant love for the sport. We have never seen such a euphoric reception to golf at any other place.”
Played in a league-cum-knockout format, with 21 teams contesting comprising 18 players each, the tournament began with Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria’s ceremonial tee off on September 12. It was heartening to see him shake hands with the teams comprising super seniors, besides other golfers in their 20s and beyond.
A highlight of the third edition was the introduction of a late entrant, Seven Iron, after Sleepy Owls’ voluntary exit. The contests were nail-biting, keeping golfers, supporters, fans and bystanders glued to a fantastic CGL app on their mobiles for real-time updates.
The matches were fiercely contested. But, there was an overarching camaraderie and sportsmanship that defines this gentleman’s game. Tee Birds, with a freshly-minted team after last year’s dismal show, were big on star power: Mivaan, Saurabh and MP on a roll and young Shaurya recording a tremendous run. Sultans of Swing, who were down and out last year, seemed to revive their fortunes with Bhaika, Tarun, Sid leading the charge. Their lacklustre performance during the penultimate match before play-offs gave a lease of life to the fledgling Mulligans.
Hunting Hawks, with old warhorses Gurpreet, Rohit, Ravibir leveraged their experience, while Kulwaran played sheet anchor in their match up to quarterfinal. Canam Raptors struggled after a dream run in the first edition. Inability to reign in the deliberate pace of the game seemed to be a reason to ground speedy stalwarts like Sandy, Vicky and their ilk in other teams like Empire where Rakesh Jolly could not reach his pinnacle. Netmartz’s strong start also took them to the playoffs.
Seven Iron, with an obvious disadvantage of a late entry, still left a mark. Saty and Natwar, their owners were content and already planning a reset for 2025. Golf Masters could not recover from a poor start, nor could the Pirates and Empire. Green Gators were a spirited team with Dilsher, Rabbin and Waraich proving their mettle. Soaring Eagles, despite their unbeaten pair of Puneet and Dilmick, also couldn’t go beyond prelims. Golf Ninjas were on a renewed vigour after two disappointing seasons. Swinging Samurais also missed the bus despite a great fight with Captains 18 in the play-offs decider. They will surely reflect on their decision to keep the fiery 81-year-old Col Mohan out of the run-up matches. Confident Mokshas were victims of equational syndrome, with the Mulligans making a late revival. Aces too fell apart after a good start.
Chandigarh Gladiators, who had a wonderful season, finished third after a nail-biting playoff with the Mulligans. Owned by an enterprising Karan Gilhotra and captained by gutsy Rahul Sahgal, the team was bolstered by value additions of Col Baath, Col PPS, Capt Bunty Bedi, Lt Gen Sachar and VP besides “Mr Dependable” Col Narjit Singh.
Mulligans, who finished fourth despite early struggles. With a rich mix of youth and experience, their core team centred around Bismad. Their fortunes, however, plummeted after a rare hole-in-one by Mantegveer.
Moving onto the big winners: the reconstituted Partee Panthers, the joint winners had a dream run. Their singles players, the gritty Rabiya and Raghav shone. Saahir, Amarjot, Sahil and owner Simar led from the front while 80-year-old Sukhinder, a former fighter pilot, also made his presence felt.
Captains 18, who had also lifted the trophy last year, picked up speed after a modest start. Captain Randeep was the guiding force. The young Pukhraj, ably buoyed by Paddy, Bajwas, Mann, Sandhu and Bains, also played their part. Sweety Brar, a top-rate golfer and the star of their 2023 campaign, was missed on the Greens due to injury but he made up for it with his reverberating vocal chords from the sidelines.
In the words of this good ol’ chip of the old block, “CGL is like a breeze of life. A carnival like bonhomie in the environment is infectious. Most of us live from one CGL to the next. No matter who took the trophy, Golf is the winner!”
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(The writer, an army veteran, is an avid golfer at Chandigarh Golf Club)