Drive Squad’ & ‘Charlies Angles’ in lead at QGC League

 

Arjuna Awardee and Asian Games Gold Medalist – Amit Luthra, in action for his team Swinging Shers on Day-2 of the Qutab Golf League 2025.

 

Rakesh Thapliyal

New Delhi: Team ‘Drive Squad’ continued in the lead in Group ‘A’ while India’s only All-Women’s team ‘Charlies’ Angles’ assumed the lead in Group ‘B’ after day-2 of the Qutab Golf League 2025 and the completion of the singles match play games. Both teams tallied 34 points apiece at the Qutab Golf Course, to set themselves up for a charge in the remaining two rounds which will be played in the four ball better ball format, the doubles.

The Qutab Golf League now moves to the Jack Nicklaus Designed Classic Golf Resort for its third round on November 21, while the fourth round will be played at the Greg Norman designed Jaypee Greens Golf Resort on November 26. The Finals will be played at the Qutab Golf Course on December 6.

In Group ‘A’, Drive Squad’ added 11.5 points to their Day-1 tally of 22.5. Key contributors included Col. I.S. Kohli (Retd.), Hridesh Rawal, Rai Virender Singh Sodhi, and Amit Ahuja, each securing their matches and byes to earn 2.5 points apiece.

Close behind, Team ‘Icons’ made a strong surge to second place with 33 points, tallying a solid 17-points on day-2. Standout performers included Vedant Jain, Ritwik Jain, Keshav Sharma, and Pawan Saluja, all winning their matches and byes. The team’s lady amateur, promising junior Zara Anand, also secured a crucial win contributing 2 points.

Team ‘Ishum Eagles’ rose to third place with 27.5 points, after earning 14.5 points.Their top performers included Akshay Ojha, who won both his match and bye, along with Ayesha Gupta, Anuj Nahar, Anil Rao, K.H.B. Singh, Amit Bhati, and Karan Kapoor (Team Owner), all winning their matches.

In fourth position, Team ‘Swinging Shers’ added 11 points to reach a total of 24.5 points, led by Devin Singh, who secured both his match and bye for 2.5 points.

Team ‘Ultimate Sticks’ rounded off Group A with 8.5 points on Day 2 tallying 15 points overall, powered by wins from Ishaan Khanna, Vijit Khosla, and Aarush Kumar.

In Group B, leaders ‘Charlie’s Angels’ were aided by strong performances from Shiraz Singh, Sonu Kalkat, and Pooja Ahluwalia, who each secured their matches and byes. Additional wins by Ayesha Kapur, Malini Joshi, and Sunita Katarrya ensured the team’s continued dominance.

Team ‘Casual Gurus’ climbed to second with 29.5 total points, after a 17-point showing on Day 2. Top contributors included Dhruv Pal Singh and Sujit Arora, both winning their matches and byes, alongside Aryaveer Khoda, Simarjeet Singh, Arjun Verma, Sharad Batra, Anmol Puri, and Yuvrajbir Sodhi, who each secured match victories.

At third place, Team ‘Metro Legends’ sat at 27 points, having added 14.5 points on the second day. Their highlights included wins from Akash Goyal (Team Owner), Karan Pal Singh Sandhu, and Vijay Advani, who earned 2.5 points each through match and bye victories. Bikram Singh, Shubham Sarawagi, and Sunil Ahluwalia also contributed with individual match wins.

Team ‘Albatross’ followed closely in fourth position with 26.5 total points after earning 15 points on Day 2. Their standout players included Parth Chaudhary, Amit Dahiya, Ashish Bhan, and Rahil Aggarwal, all winning both their matches and byes.

Team ‘Vox Spartans’ currently sit in fifth position with 2.5 points.

The Qutab Golf League 2025 is being played in a Team Championship Format with 10 teams contesting. Each team comprises a minimum of 14 players and a maximum of 16 players. All in all, 159 players will be participating. Among those participating are leading golfers from the IGU (Indian Golf Union) Order of Merit including Karan Chauhan, Keya Badugu ,Yogya Bhalla, Zara Anand & Vinamra Anand (Team – Icons); Mehak Lohan (Team – Swinging Shers) and Ayesha Gupta (Team – Ishum Eagles).

The League is being played over five match days – in a Round-Robin Format for the first four days and will conclude with the Finals on the fifth match day. The Qutab Golf Course hosted the opening two rounds on November 7 and 14. The ITC Classic Golf Resort will host the third round on November 21 while the Jaypee Greens Golf Resort will stage the fourth round on November 26. The Grand Finale will be held at the Qutab Golf Course on December 6, 2025.

A brainchild of Game of Life Sports (GOLS) promoted by Amit Kharbanda and Samant Sikka, QGL aims to create one of the most exciting and enjoyable Golf Leagues in India. To deliver on this objective, they have entered into a partnership with Digraj Golf Inc. (DGI) who have successfully curated and delivered other quality leagues in India.

The ten teams competing include: Charlie’s Angels; Swinging Shers; Icons; Ishum Eagles; Casual Gurus; Vox Spartans; Metro Legends; Albatross; Drive Squad and Ultimate Stix.

The League provides every category of golfer with an opportunity to compete and the mandatory guidelines for the formation of any team to ensure the Leagues inclusiveness are:

· Ladies: 2 players

· Juniors (Under 18): 1 player

· Govt/Armed Forces/Senior (60+) years: 1 player

· One player can satisfy multiple categories

The exciting Match play format is being used for the Main Team Championship with the teams playing both Singles Matchplay games on the first two days and then doubles (Four ball better ball) for the next 2 days of the Round Robin Stage.

The 10 teams have been divided into 2 groups of 5 teams each. The players play off 75 % of their original handicaps. For both the Singles and the Doubles Matchplay, the match result earns points that contribute to team totals. A win gives 2 points, a Tie – 1 point and a loss – 0 points. Once the match is over, the players are required to play the remaining holes, if any, for 0.5 point. This is termed as a ‘BYE’ and the points count towards the team total. The cumulative points scored by each team over the 4 Round Robin days will determine the top 2 teams per group which will qualify for the Finals.

The Final day will see 2 events being run concurrently. The 4 Finalist teams will be competing for the Main Championship Trophy while the remaining 6 teams will play a stableford event called the Plate Championship.

The Two organisers GOLS and DGI are ably guided in their vision and structuring by Apex Council members Wg Cdr Arun Singh, who is the President of the Golf Course Superintendents and Managers Association of India and also the EX DG of the Indian Golf Union, Champion Golfer and now a coach and administrator, Gaurav Ghei and Avnish Dass who is a specialist in Handicapping systems for Golf and a passionate golfer himself.

There is Rs 23 lacs in prize money for distribution to the top 4 winning teams and also the Winner of the Plate Championship. All team members will also get attractive prizes. There will also be a lot of exciting skills based Individual prizes each day.

We are pleased to welcome Max Estates; Eugenix Hair Sciences; RM Interior Design and Consultant; MG; Asia Spa Resort; Kairali and Golf Plus as partners to season 2.

Teams and Owners of the QGL:

1. Charlie’s Angels- Uma Charles

2. Swinging Shers- Tina Gandhi, Karan Datta, Jitender Sandhu, Devika Khosla

3. Icons – Amlan Bhattacharjya

4. Ishum Eagles – Karan Kapoor

5. Casual Gurus- Sanjeev Khurana, Sanjay Baweja

6. Vox Spartans – Sanjay Gupta, Goonmeet Singh Chauhan, AS Pasricha

7. Metro Legends – Aakashdeep Goyal

8. Albatross – Sandeep Bhatotia

9. Drive Squad –Sahil Dhawan, Jitinjot Singh

10. Ultimate Stix – Sundeep Verma.