New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) The 45th edition of the Hero Honda Indian Open golf tournament will carry a whopping $1 million prize money this year, it was announced by the sponsors Hero Honda Motors Ltd. here Thursday. The tournament will be held at the Delhi Golf Club October 9-12 and is one of the most prestigious events on the Asian Tour.

The purse, which has been doubled from the previous year’s prize fund, comes at a time when golf in the country is fast gaining in strength with the success of Indian golfers in the international circuit contributing to the growing popularity of the game here.

“It is with great enthusiasm that we look forward to the 45th staging of our national Open. This will be an exceptional year for the tournament as the prize money has been increased to $1 million. This is a huge boost to the tournament which over the past few years has really made great strides forward,” said T.T. Jagannathan, President, Indian Golf Union.

“The Hero Honda Indian Open boasts a wealth of great memories and with the tournament continuing to grow in stature on the Asian Tour we are sure many more glorious chapters will be written about the event in the future,” he added.

Pawan Munjal, chief executive of Hero Honda Motors Ltd, said: “We have been increasing the prize money by $100,000 each year from 2005 onwards, and now the Hero Honda Indian Open has become a million dollar tournament.

“We will continue to keep increasing the prize money in the coming years, thereby making the Hero Honda Indian Open grow in stature. I am sure the event will now attract more marquee players from the international arena, which will add to its increasing popularity.”

Last year, India’s Jyoti Randhawa won the tournament, thereby becoming only the second player to lift the trophy three times. The only other player to achieve the feat is Australian legend Peter Thomson, who also claimed the inaugural Indian Open in 1964.

World Sport Group will promote the event as part of its six-year agreement with the Asian Tour. They are responsible for the sponsorship, event management and media.