New Delhi, March 14 (IANS) The $300,000 SAIL Open golf tournament, sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), will be held at the Delhi Golf Club here from March 30 to April 2.

'We are delighted to announce our continued support of professional golf in India and Asia through our title sponsorship of the SAIL Open,' said SAIL Chairman S.K. Roongta. 'In the two years which we have supported the tournament, we have been privileged to witness world-class golf in India. We believe that SAIL Open will contribute to further development of the sport in India and the Asian Tour.'

In the inaugural event in 2008, New Zealand's Mark Brown enjoyed an emotional maiden Asian Tour victory at the Jaypee Greens as he remembered his late father. Then last year, Thailand's Chapchai Nirat produced a magical week at the Classic Golf Resort to win the tournament with a world scoring record of 32-under-par 256 winning score.

Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han expressed his fullest appreciation to SAIL for its commitment to the game. 'Professional golf is reliant on sponsorship and we are delighted and honoured that SAIL continues to back the game at the highest level in Asia,' said Han.

'The return of the SAIL Open is tremendous as golf in India has grown immensely over the years through the success of players like Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Arjun Atwal, Amandeep Johl, S.S.P. Chowrasia and Gaurav Ghei on the Asian Tour.

'These are truly exciting times for golf in India as so many talented young players like Gaganjeet Bhullar, Anirban Lahir, Shiv Kapur and Himmat Rai are excelling on the Asian Tour and the staging of the third SAIL Open will give them further opportunities to showcase their talents.'

Padamjit Singh Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said: 'We are honoured to welcome back the SAIL Open 2010. Despite its brief history, the SAIL Open has matured in stature on the Asian Tour and has helped create a great platform for Indian players to compete with a strong Asian Tour player field, and move on to higher tours.'