Andy DevaneyThe DP World India Championship has finally landed—and make no mistake, this isn’t just another tournament on the global carousel. This is a $4 million statement of intent from India to the golfing world: the game has arrived here, and it’s here to stay. Launched by global smart logistics powerhouse DP World and the DP World Tour, the inaugural event is being staged at the historic Delhi Golf Club—where the peacocks strut like they own the place, and anyone missing a fairway may well disappear into a thicket of ancient history.
Golf has flirted with India before. This time, it’s moving in.
A Field with Teeth
You want star power? Try Masters champion and career Grand Slam hunter Rory McIlroy. Add Tommy Fleetwood, fresh off his FedExCup conquest. Stir in Ryder Cup heroes Shane Lowry and Viktor Hovland, and top it off with their European captain Luke Donald for good measure. Then throw in Major winner Brian Harman and three-time PGA TOUR winner Ben Griffin—because this field needed a little extra danger.
Even better, this isn’t a foreign invasion. India has arrived in force too—29 home players are teeing it up, including two-time DP World Tour winner Shubhankar Sharma, global contender Anirban Lahiri, seven-time champion Shiv Kapur, and rising force Veer Ahlawat, who secured his 2025 Tour card by topping last season’s PGTI Rankings. If you’re wondering where the next Indian golfing star will come from, cancel your weekend plans—he’s here.
Season Pressure – Cards, Crowns and Careers on the Line
The DP World India Championship is the penultimate stop on the DP World Tour’s Back 9—the closing stretch before the season-ending playoffs. Every shot now has consequences.
Some players are chasing the Race to Dubai and the European No.1 crown. Others are battling just to keep their jobs—tour cards for 2026, PGA TOUR dual membership, playoff qualification. You can smell the pressure from here.
Meanwhile, youngsters Yuvraj Sandhu and Arjun Prasad—currently leading the PGTI Rankings—are fighting for full-time DP World Tour status next season. A career change could be one leaderboard away.
Why India, Why Now?
DP World hasn’t turned up in India to shake hands and leave. They’ve already been building ports, rail, logistics corridors and trade hubs across the country for decades—and now they’re investing in golf the same way: globally, aggressively and with long-term intent.
Their programmes include grassroots initiatives like Balls for Birdies and the Second Life Container project, and this week they’ve launched a partnership with Delhi’s Zen Golf Academy to nurture the next generation of Indian players.
India isn’t just on the schedule anymore. India is part of the plan.
Delhi Golf Club – History With Teeth
Delhi Golf Club doesn’t just test your swing—it interrogates your soul. Originally carved out in the 1930s, redesigned by Peter Thomson in 1977 and refined again by Gary Player Design in 2019, the 6,318-yard Lodhi Course is a tight, tree-lined, nerve-pinching experience where hitting driver is an act of faith.
Wildlife outnumbers humans—650 peacocks and 200 Sambhar deer roam the property—and history is never out of sight. Tombs, mosques and Mughal-era monuments line the fairways like silent gallery spectators. The current course record is 60 (-12) courtesy of Liang Wenchong in 2008—a number so violent it probably violates human rights legislation.
Prizes Worth Dreaming About
This week isn’t short on incentives:
- Hole 5: First ace wins a BMW X7 xDrive40i. Not bad for a single swing.
- Hole 17: The first hole-in-one triggers an $11,000 donation to charity via Hero FinCorp.
- Course Record Bonus: Thanks to a rollover, the Nexo prize pot has climbed to $70,000 for anyone who dares to rewrite history. Good luck with that.
Global Pathway, Local Pride
The DP World India Championship also plays a key role in the Global Amateur Pathway, a joint initiative by the DP World Tour, PGA TOUR and The R&A to fast-track elite amateurs into the pro ranks. China’s Wenyi Ding became the first product of the system earlier this year, and the 2025 class wraps up this week. Careers are about to change overnight.
If golf is truly a sport on the march, India just opened a brand-new front. The money is serious. The venue is historic. The field is lethal. And with the DP World India Championship now anchoring the Asian swing, the message to the rest of the world is clear:
This is only the beginning.
