Unique setting of Delhi Golf Club to test top foreigners in DP World India Championship

When world No.2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, No. 5 Tommy Fleetwood of England, and several other top foreigners vie for the highest prize money ever offered in a golf tournament in India from October 16–19, they will have to “beat the bushes” — quite literally. The unique Delhi Golf Club (DGC) course is widely known for its dense bushes and resident wildlife that players must overcome besides their opponents in the $4 million DP World India Championship, the biggest event in Delhi since 2023.

The 72-hole DGC is a unique golf course known to pose challenges to foreigners, especially those turning up for the first time, like McIlroy and Fleetwood, who won silver at the 2024 ParisOlympics. The players will have to negotiate centuries-old historical monuments and the likes of snakes, nilgais (blue bulls), and peacocks while playing the drive and the chip etc. A wrong twist of the club may send the ball into the bushes, resulting in possible drop shots.

Among a host of foreigners who will go through the tough DGC test are Norwegian world No.13 Viktor Hovland and No. 25 Shane Lowry of Ireland. A total of 138 players, including Indians, will compete for the top prize of $680,000.

What local experts say

Veteran golfer Amit Luthra, part of the four-member Indian team that won the 1982 Delhi Asian Games gold, and Gaurav Ghei, winner of the 1995 Gadgil Western Asian Masters title here, know the DGC inside out, as both grew up there. Incidentally, both are overseeing preparations for the upcoming event as members of the DGC’s General Committee.

“When foreigners come to India, especially to the DGC, they fear the bushes, snakes, and blue bulls; there are peacocks as well. They are not used to wildlife on golf courses and such dense bushes elsewhere. For them, playing straight is fine, but one hit into the bushes and the scene changes — it could result in a two-over-par round,” 65-year-old Luthra told Patriot. He said 7,000 spectators are expected at the event.

Also Read: In a first, DDCA appoints male masseur to Delhi’s senior women’s team

Ghei chips in: “DGC without bushes is like St Andrew’s without the slopes and pot bunkers.”

Daniel Chopra, a former Delhi-based golfer and two-time PGA Tour winner, still misses the DGC and wonders which clubs McIlroy will use. “I am very excited to see how the best players in the world deal with the DGC. Will McIlroy use any woods at all? Will they tear it up, or will this, the most unique golf course in the world, stand up to these great players? I’m also looking forward to their comments on a course unlike any other. I am sure they will love it — so long as they hit it straight,” the Orlando, Florida-based Chopra, who grew up at the DGC, told Patriot.

Betting on Indian talent

Ghei says the DGC has always favoured local players. “It’s a course that makes people who haven’t played here much a little uncomfortable. People like Rory can’t fully take advantage of their skills here. You are not going to see him unleash 360-yard drives just because of the way the course is set up. It brings the other players into the competitive ring,” the 57-year-old told Patriot.

The DGC challenges the temperament of players, points out Ghei. He advises players to “have a nice, cool, calm mind.” The Indian challenge will be led by 29-year-old two-time DP World Tour winner Shubhankar Sharma. He became the youngest Indian player to win on the DP World Tour when, aged 21, he clinched the Joburg Open title in December 2017. But he is currently struggling for form going into the DGC event.

“Golf is a strange game. Sometimes this is what a player needs – playing at home, surrounded by home support, on a familiar golf course, and hopefully things will click in the right direction for him,” says Ghei.

Other Indians in fray

Several Indians are expected to put their best foot forward in front of a global audience, even though the inclement weather might slow down the DGC greens.

Veer Ahlawat, Yuvraj Sandhu, Udayan Mane, Om Prakash Chouhan, Manu Gandas, Angad Cheema, Shaurya Bhattacharya, Tapendra Ghai, Karan Pratap Singh, Varun Parikh, Arjun Prasad, Kshitij Naveed Kaul, and Saptak Talwar are among the Indians in fray.