Defending champions BPGC, with the lowest handicap average of 9.1, are confident of retaining their title as the leading golf club in Maharashtra when they tee off for the two-day 19th Grover Vineyards Inter-Club Golf Championship and pit their skills against golfers from US Club, Willingdon Sports Club and Poona Club Golf at the US Club on February 14 and 15.

Adding to their confidence is the fact that they are the only club to have won away at US Club, where the course and the windy conditions give a huge advantage to the home team.

However, BPGC will have to contend with a confident US Club, who have only lost once while playing at home and have a strong team, among them three of the state’s leading teenaged amateur golfers, Kaustubh Mishra, Keshav Mishra and P Nair.

Also pitching in with a strong challenge will be Willingdon SC, who came agonisingly close to defeating US Club, losing out in a playoff last time around.