Visakhapatnam, Nov 6 (IANS) With its owner and tennis legend Leander Paes watching the action from the sidelines, Flying Man Kolkata Tigers won the inaugural edition of IGPL X-Golf at the Vizag Golf Club in Visakhapatnam on Friday.

The IGPL X-Golf competition came at the end of the four-day golfing fiesta, the Maritime Invitational 2026 presented by Vizag Dolphins. The IGPL X-Golf was held over a specially designed area at the iconic Vizag Golf Club.

The team comprised Syed Saqib Ahmed, Sukhman Singh, southpaw Kartik Sharma and Ravi Kumar, who stepped in for Varun Parikh, who had to leave soon after the main competition for personal reasons. Kolkata Tigers edged past Unico Gurugram Tuskers, led by Asian Tour-bound Pukhraj Singh, his brother Digraj Singh Gills, Shaurya Binu and Shat Mishra.

GolfKonnekt Bengaluru Stallions GC, which had young Veer Ganapathy, watched by his father, former pro Rahul Ganapathy, Trishul Chinappa, Sudhir Sharma and Sunhit Bishnoi, finished third.

Earlier, Vimtra Chennai Lions GC, the winners of the team competition in the main three-day event, were top-seeded, but they were eliminated in the semi-finals, leaving the other three to battle it out for the top honours.

A delighted Paes said, “It was wonderful to see the team rise to the occasion and grab the title at the inaugural edition of IGPL X-Golf. I watched the whole competition, and it was fun with the pros playing the designated holes at a furious pace.”

A complete package with action, player bytes and the crowd participation on the inaugural IGPL X-Golf will be aired on Star Sports 2 Select, Star Sports 3 and Jio Hotstar. This will contain a capsule of the main event held over three days and AM Green IGPL X-Golf action.

WHAT is X-Golf? The rules and the format

The Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) unveiled its exciting innovation, X-Golf, at the Vizag Golf Club. The event was staged after the completion of the regular three-day tournament, the Maritime Invitational 2026 presented by Vizag Dolphins GC.

Each IGPL event will have an X-Golf competition a day after the main event.

The initiative brings in a fast-paced, team-based competition, with speed, accuracy, and coordination determining the winners. The teams are seeded from 1 to 10 based on their performance in the regular tournament.

In Eliminator 1, 9 teams play in 3 groups of three teams each; then in Eliminator 2, there are 6 teams - 2 teams from each group. They are then seeded by time, and the matches are: 1 vs 6; 2 vs 5; and 3 vs 4.

The three winners from Eliminator 2 join the top-seeded team, which has a straight entry into the semis. All 4 teams then play, and the top 3 qualify for the final, from where the champion is crowned.

The top seed earned a direct entry into the semi-finals, while the remaining nine were divided into three groups of three. Group A had seeds 2, 5 and 8, Group B had seeds 3, 6 and 9, and Group C had 4, 7 and 10.

Speed and accuracy are among the main considerations, and the opening eliminator was played over one Par-4 hole, with the slowest team in each group eliminated. The remaining six teams are ranked according to their timings and paired for a Par-3 eliminator. The three winners join the top seed in the semi-finals.

The four semifinalists then compete over a Par-3 hole, with the three fastest teams advancing to the final. In case of a tie, a Monster Putt, decided by proximity to the hole, or a bunker shot is used as a tie-breaker.

The final features three teams competing over a Par-2 hole from 70-100 yards, with obstacles adding to the challenge. The fastest team will be crowned X-Golf champion.

The format uses a time-based scoring system, with penalties for out-of-bounds shots, delays, premature player movement, and other rule violations. Teams will also receive time bonuses for birdies, eagles, and holes-in-one, while bogeys and worse scores attract additional time.

Team composition will vary according to the stage: four players for the Par-4, three for the Par-3 and the Par-2 final. Players are assigned specific driving, approach, chipping, and putting roles.

--IANS

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