Andy DevaneyRory McIlroy has one eye on a record-equalling eighth Race to Dubai title and the other on the decade after it. At the DP World India Championship, those horizons meet on a golf course where finding a fairway may prove considerably harder than drawing up a long-term plan.
At 37, the Northern Irishman is seeking his first DP World Tour victory on the subcontinent. A six-time Major winner and the winner of the past two Masters, he is also investing in something unlikely to appear in his golf bag: a travelling environment dedicated to fitness and recovery.
McIlroy has become a global ambassador for DP World, which will transport his personalised set-up between tournaments on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. He already has a performance trailer in the United States.
The inspiration came from two athletes intent on making elite performance last: Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose and tennis great Novak Djokovic.
The Rose result that changed the calculation
Rose’s victory in Memphis last year helped settle McIlroy’s thinking. Rose was 45 and still winning; McIlroy was 36 and wondering how to give himself the best chance of doing the same for another decade.
“The idea came from them. I decided to pull the trigger on it when Justin won in Memphis last year. He’s 45 years old, playing great, contending in major championships, and I was — at that time I was 36. I was like, I want to play really well for the next ten years; I feel like I need to do something like this.”
A performance trailer cannot promise ten more successful seasons. But the decision shows how McIlroy is approaching longevity: as something worth organising for, not simply hoping for.
That is a rather different timescale from the one he faces in Delhi, where there are Race to Dubai points to chase immediately.
Delhi does not offer much room for error
Delhi Golf Club is not a venue where indiscriminate power provides an obvious solution. McIlroy remembers tight driving corridors and plenty of strategic tee shots with irons. The challenge is to choose the right position before thinking about the approach.
Aaron Rai, who had watched the course on television but only played it for the first time this week, was struck by its narrowness and the importance of angles.
As the reigning US PGA Championship winner, he brings serious credentials; as a player with family ties to India on both sides, he has reasons beyond the leaderboard to enjoy the visit. His wife, Gaurika Bishnoi Rai, is a leading Indian player.
The course also holds rather happier memories for Tommy Fleetwood.
The defending champion returns with his family after winning here last year, when the sight of his son Frankie celebrating with him on the 18th green became an enduring part of the occasion.
“I think this tournament last year came at a time when I was playing amazing golf. Probably some of the best of my career. I think when I do look back, when I come here I think I’m always going to be grateful for the moments that I got with Frankie there on the 18th green.”
Fleetwood is looking for a ninth DP World Tour title, and there are worse places to attempt one than a course associated with some of your favourite memories.
A Race to Dubai fight with plenty of company
Patrick Reed arrives as the Race to Dubai leader, with McIlroy and Eugenio Chacarra also among the top three in the standings. All three are in the field, giving the contest for the Harry Vardon Trophy a direct bearing on the action in Delhi.
There are 22 winners from the 2026 Race to Dubai in the tournament, including Rai and Ryan Fox, who claimed maiden Major victories this year.
Fox, the Champion Golfer of the Year after his triumph at Royal Birkdale, is making his first visit to India. Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald add further depth.
For McIlroy, an eighth season-long title would equal the record. Yet a victory in India would carry significance of its own, filling a geographical gap in an already formidable DP World Tour record.
One more prize that could change a career
The home challenge is 27 players strong, including established DP World Tour winners Anirban Lahiri and Shubhankar Sharma. Sharma arrives following victory at the Vishwa Samudra presents Kapil Dev Invitational Tour Championship on the PGTI last week.
There is another contest running alongside the tournament result. The PGTI Order of Merit will be settled on Sunday, with its winner earning a DP World Tour card for 2027.
Saptak Talwar has built a commanding lead, although Khalin H Joshi and Veer Ahlawat can still catch him. All three are playing.
McIlroy is planning the next decade. For those chasing a route onto the DP World Tour, this Sunday could shape what happens next year.
