Jammu and Kashmir chief minister (CM) Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said that government is mulling to establish a golf academy in Kashmir to identify and groom young talent from an early age, enabling them to compete at the national and international levels.
“Our boys and girls have talent. What they need is exposure and opportunities,” said Omar during the inauguration of the 5th edition of J&K Open DP World Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) 2026 at the Royal Springs Golf Course (RSGC) in Srinagar.
The event marks the return of a major professional golf tournament to Kashmir after a significant gap . The tournament is being jointly organised by J&K Tourism and the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India (DP World PGTI).
After ceremonially tee off, the CM said that golf tourism forms an important component of the government’s broader strategy to promote tourism in J&K. He highlighted the region’s golf infrastructure which include the courses at Srinagar, Pahalgam and Gulmarg in Kashmir, besides the golf course at Sidra in Jammu, adding that plans are also being explored to upgrade another golf course in the Jammu region.
The CM said that the Union territory is already witnessing encouraging signs of golf tourism, with visitors travelling to Srinagar specifically for weekend golfing experiences. “This year, even without active promotion of golf tourism, we have seen people flying into Srinagar for a long weekend of golf—arriving on Friday, playing through the weekend and returning on Sunday evening or Monday morning. This is exactly the kind of tourism we want to promote,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}The CM said that the Union territory is already witnessing encouraging signs of golf tourism, with visitors travelling to Srinagar specifically for weekend golfing experiences. “This year, even without active promotion of golf tourism, we have seen people flying into Srinagar for a long weekend of golf—arriving on Friday, playing through the weekend and returning on Sunday evening or Monday morning. This is exactly the kind of tourism we want to promote,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Describing the J&K Open as a landmark event, Omar said the tournament would help place Kashmir, particularly the Royal Springs Golf Course, firmly back on India’s golfing map. He noted that the championship has attracted more than 100 professional golfers, including over 10 international participants, reflecting the growing appeal of Jammu & Kashmir as a sporting destination.
He further said that government’s endeavour is to make the J&K Open an annual event for at least the next five years. He added that efforts would be made to progressively enhance both the prize money and participation in the coming editions, thereby strengthening the tournament’s stature on the professional golfing circuit.
Omar cited the recent successes of Kashmir sportspersons, including selection of J&K cricketer Auqib Nabi in the Indian Test squad for the Sri Lanka series and the remarkable international success of local mixed martial arts fighter Owais Yaqoob . “By organising more tournaments like this and encouraging local competitions, we can provide that exposure, inspire more youngsters to take up sports and help them excel at the highest levels,” he said.
The J&K Open field features leading Indian professionals, including DP World PGTI Order of Merit leader Saptak Talwar, Veer Ahlawat, Om Prakash Chouhan, Manu Gandas, defending champion Shaurya Bhattacharya and Angad Cheema, to name a few.
The tournament will also feature 12 foreign players from eight different countries. The foreign countries being represented at the event include USA, Japan, Czech Republic, Canada, Malaysia, Uganda, Bangladesh and Nepal.
The leading professionals from Jammu & Kashmir playing at the J&K Open include Arindam Sudan, Fayaz Ahmed Langoo, Adnan Mubarik Rah and Pawan Parihar.