History and Delhi Golf Club go hand in hand.
Some of it lies buried deep inside the 14th-century Lodhi dynasty tombs that have been such an enchanting part of the golf course. Some of it are made on the hallowed turf, which has long been the centrepiece of Indian golf.
This week marks the second time the DGC is hosting the DP World India Championship. Even before a shot has been hit, the $4 million tournament has made history – this will be the first time when three reigning major champions (Rory McIlroy, Aaron Rai and Ryan Fox) will play in a tournament in India.
Deep Dive
Why is Delhi Golf Club a challenging course at the DP World India Championship?
What can Indian golfers gain from the DP World India Championship?
Why is the DP World India Championship’s field considered historic?
The DGC was once considered India’s golf fortress. The thorny bushes were too bewitching and beguiling for the foreign players. But the tide has turned in the past few years, and local players have been starved of success. Logic would dictate that it would be very difficult for an Indian to win this week in such a deep field, but we have seen far stranger things in this sport.
The excitement is palpable. You can almost touch the thick air of anticipation that is building up.
{{/usCountry}}The excitement is palpable. You can almost touch the thick air of anticipation that is building up.
{{/usCountry}}Here are some of the things you need to watch out for if you are visiting the DGC, or following the action on television…
The driver strategy: Last year, McIlroy famously kept his driver in the locker room all four rounds. On a course where long means trouble on most holes – the ball runs through the fairways and gets into the bushes – minimum use of the longest club is a good idea.
That might change this year, as the rough has been allowed to grow much longer than in the inaugural edition. It might still not catch a particularly errant shot, but it offers some protection. Getting out of the rough would be key, but guys like McIlroy can easily outmuscle it.
The greens: They are looking so much better than last year, when the course had taken a beating because of incessant rain. There were visible brown patches. From what I saw Monday evening, they were rolling well, consistent, and had no dead areas.
The DP World Tour Order of Merit: There are two huge Rolex Series events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai at the end of the year, but the importance of the DP World India Championship can be gauged by the fact that all top eight players – starting from No1 Patrick Reed to No8 Jacob Slav Olesen – are in the field this week, jostling for positions.
The Indian angle #1 – Order of Merit crown: Like the DP World Tour players, the PGTI members are also playing in the final event of the new calendar. With 25 per cent of the $4 million prize fund counting towards the Order of Merit, all of them have a shot of winning the season-long crown and get a card on the 2027 season of the DP World Tour. Saptak Talwar is in pole position, just shy of the INR1 crore mark.
There have been some murmurs about whether this is a good idea. One hot week and someone like a young Kartik Singh or Nepal’s Subhash Tamang can become the No1.
I will feel bad for Talwar if that happens, but having said that, if an Indian player wins or finishes inside the top-five against such a strong field, we should not be holding a grudge.
The Indian angle #2 – Sharma and Sandhu: We have two Indians on the DP World Tour – Shubhankar Sharma and Yuvraj Singh Sandhu – and both have had a tough season. Sharma is No182nd in the Race to Dubai and Sandhu is 177th. They haven't made the big tournaments, and this week could be a last-chance saloon for both to secure playing privileges next year.
The Indian angle #3 – Bhullar and Kochhar: Unlike last year, when players like Gaganjeet Bhullar and Karandeep Kochhar could not get into the field after aligning with the Indian Premier Golf League (IGPL), its good to see both of them, alongside Shiv Kapur, in the field this week.
Obviously, it helped that IGPL, or their main sponsor, am green, has come aboard as a Platinum Sponsor of the tournament. Politics apart, this really is the best Indian field that has gathered to challenge the best international field. It’s just great for the Indian golf fans.
The Indian angle #4 – Anirban Lahiri: The Official World Golf Ranking won’t show it, but without a doubt, Lahiri has been India’s best golfer this past decade.
He has yet to make public his LIV Golf 2.0 plans, but like Patrick Reed did at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year, Lahiri could lock himself a DP World Tour card with a win this week. And he has an amazing history at the Delhi Golf Club with multiple international wins.
The sponsor, DP World: It’s not the easiest time for DP World, a global logistics giant based in Dubai. The conflict in the Middle East has affected their operations. But you’ve got to doff your cap to their support of golf. It would have been easiest for them to cut expenses, but as the company has always maintained, they are in this for the long run. They have managed to upscale the championship.