In the Invitational Tournament, held prior to the commencement of World Golfers Championships, Indur Hirani finished 1st in his handicap category, with a 4 day Nett score of 294, just 7 over par. In the same handicap category, K. Jothiramalingam tied for the third position with Veronika Boyko of Ukraine with a four day Nett Score of 310.
The 17th Amateur World Golfers Championship which was held in Kwa Zulu-Natal, South Africa, where 280 Golfers from 26 Countries including India, participated for 6 days, concluded on 4th Nov, 2011.The Tournament was held on 4 of South Africa's most challenging Golf Courses, Zimbali Country Club, Princess Grant Country Club, Umhlali Country Club and the famous Durban Country Club which has hosted the South African National Open on many occasions.
In the main World Golfers Championship, Team Thailand won 1st Place, followed by China and hosts South Africa finished 3rd. The Indian Team - comprising of the 5 winners of the Toyota Karnataka Golf Festival held in Karnataka Golf Association from 1st to 4th Sept, 2011 - finished 18th out of 26 countries.
This is the 3rd consecutive year that the team from Bangalore's Toyota Karnataka Golf Festival has qualified for the World Golfers' Championship, one of the largest amateur golf tournaments in the world which sees about 50,000 golfers from 36 countries vie for the top position. In 2009, well known Bangalore golfer Sumit Rathor had finished topped his handicap category in the invitational section, while in 2010 Utpal Desai triumphed in the 0-5 category in the main draw of the championship.
This year, the playing conditions were extremely difficult with a strong wind blowing across the Kwa Zulu - Natal province near Durban, during the 4 days of the event. As most of the participants found playing in four different golf courses extremely challenging, the organizers have decided to hold the 18th Annual Amateur World Golfers Championship on a single golf course in 2012. The Toyota Karnataka Golf Festival's 2012 edition will continue to be India's lone qualifying event for World Golfers Championships.
