Andy DevaneyThere are gentler places to chase a first DP World Tour title than DLF Golf & Country Club. Alex Fitzpatrick discovered that earlier this year, before producing the sort of final nine holes that makes a notoriously demanding golf course look briefly negotiable.
The Englishman overhauled defending champion Eugenio Chacarra to claim his maiden victory at the Hero Indian Open. Now the tournament is heading back to the same Gurugram venue, near Delhi, from 18–21 March 2027, with another field preparing to take on one of the more exacting assignments on the DP World Tour.
The dates also give the tournament a prominent place on the international calendar. The Hero Indian Open will launch the 2027 Asian Swing, the third of five Global Swings forming the opening phase of the DP World Tour season.
It marks the tournament’s tenth edition on the Tour since its introduction to the schedule in 2015.
DLF Golf & Country Club: A familiar course with a difficult reputation
Designed by nine-time Major champion Gary Player, DLF Golf & Country Club has established itself as one of the more formidable stops on the DP World Tour.
The 2027 championship will be its eighth staging of the Hero Indian Open, a relationship that has produced some very different routes to victory.
When the tournament first arrived at DLF in 2017, India’s S.S.P. Chawrasia was already the defending champion, having won the previous year’s event at Delhi Golf Club.
He proceeded to win by seven shots.
That was a remarkable margin on a course with such a demanding reputation, and it gave Indian golf one of its most convincing home victories in the tournament’s recent history.
DLF has earned recognition beyond tournament golf, too. In 2023, it was named India’s Number One Golf Club at the tenth annual World Golf Awards.
For the professionals, though, awards count for rather less than what happens between the first tee and the final green.
Alex Fitzpatrick’s breakthrough gave the tournament another memorable finish
If Chawrasia demonstrated how to take control of the Hero Indian Open, Alex Fitzpatrick offered a rather different demonstration in 2026.
The 27-year-old Englishman produced an outstanding closing nine holes to move past Eugenio Chacarra, the defending champion, and secure his first DP World Tour title.
There was a further family distinction attached to the result.
Fitzpatrick joined his elder brother Matt, a European Ryder Cup player, as a winner on Tour. The pair also became the first brothers to record victories in successive weeks across the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.
For Alex, it was a career breakthrough. For the Hero Indian Open, it provided another example of how quickly the competitive picture can change at DLF.
That combination of demanding architecture and late-round pressure gives the venue much of its sporting character.
The 2027 edition will return with a high standard to follow.
Hero MotoCorp strengthens its long-standing relationship with golf
There is considerable continuity behind the tournament as well as on the course.
Hero MotoCorp’s relationship with the DP World Tour began with the Hero Indian Open in 2015 and is now entering its second decade.
The motorcycle and scooter manufacturer will again support two major tournaments on the 2027 schedule, acting as title partner of both the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January and the Hero Indian Open in March.
Its involvement in professional golf has extended considerably further.
The company supported the Hero Open between 2020 and 2022, along with the Hero Challenge series of shorter-format golf events and digital content. It also backed the inaugural Hero Cup, a team match-play competition that gave European players experience of the format ahead of the 2023 Ryder Cup.
For Hero MotoCorp, the Indian Open remains a particularly important part of that wider involvement.
Dr Pawan Munjal, Executive Chairman of Hero MotoCorp, said:
“For over two decades, Hero MotoCorp has been integral to the evolution of India’s National Open, helping it grow into a tournament of international standing. More than a celebration of world-class golf, it has become a platform where Indian talent can test itself against the best and earn its place on the global stage.
“As we strengthen our global partnership with the DP World Tour, we see an opportunity to take this journey further – connecting Indian golf more closely with the world and bringing new perspectives, possibilities, and audiences to the game.”
India’s National Open retains its international importance
That opportunity for Indian players to compete on an international stage remains central to the tournament’s significance.
Chawrasia’s victory in 2017 demonstrated what a home winner can achieve. Fitzpatrick’s breakthrough in 2026 highlighted the tournament’s capacity to deliver a defining moment for an emerging international champion.
Ben Cowen, the DP World Tour’s Chief Tournament and Operations Officer, has also acknowledged the contribution of the Indian Golf Union to developing golf in the country, with the national championship playing an important role in those efforts.
Its position at the beginning of the Asian Swing gives the 2027 Hero Indian Open another opportunity to put Indian golf in front of a global audience.
But once the tournament begins, the commercial partnerships and scheduling considerations will take their place in the background.
DLF Golf & Country Club has a rather effective way of making the golf itself the main attraction.
