Veteran golfer Gaurav Ghei hopes for Indian triumph at DP World India Championship

Veteran golfer Gaurav Ghei, whose association with the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) dates back to his school days in 1975, is hoping an Indian player will lift the trophy at the DP World India Championship.

The 58-year-old, who was elected to the DGC general committee for the second consecutive year last month, is also working behind the scenes to help make the $4 million tournament a success.

The October 15–18 championship, which offers the highest prize money for a golf tournament in India, will feature some of the world’s leading players, including world No. 2 Rory McIlroy and defending champion Tommy Fleetwood.

“Obviously, you have the best players in the world coming. So, everybody would be hoping that one of them wins. But my wish list is that I want an Indian to win,” Ghei told Patriot. “It’ll be a huge thing for golf and it’ll be a huge thing for the Delhi Golf Club.”

Backing Indian golfers

Shiv Kapur was the best-performing Indian at last year’s championship, finishing 32nd among a field that included 26 Indian players.

Ghei believes Kapur’s familiarity with the course could work in his favour.

“Shiv is another DGC boy who has, obviously, played very, very well, and knows the course better than I think anybody in the field,” he said.

Ghei, who considers Kapur a dear friend, is also hopeful about the prospects of Gaganjeet Bhullar and emerging players such as Saptak Talwar, who leads the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) Order of Merit.

“So, there’s a huge depth of talent in the players. I wish all of them the best and I wish one of them can really lift the trophy. That’ll be very, very big for him,” he said.

However, the competition will be formidable, with Fleetwood returning to defend his title and McIlroy among the leading contenders.

Ghei believes the DGC’s challenging layout, with its thick bushes and other natural obstacles, could make the contest unpredictable. He, particularly, points out a “very, very thick” rough, tougher than last year. “I will be surprised if we match last year’s score. I don’t think it will go to 22 under,” he said referring to Fleetwood’s victory margin.

“With these top guys, it just depends who’s having a good week. Rory, by far, is the most decorated out of all these guys,” he said.

While acknowledging McIlroy’s achievements and world ranking, Ghei feels the DGC course does not particularly suit his style of play.

“But, like I said, any of these guys, if they have a good week, they’ll be right there at the top,” he said.

A lifelong association

For Ghei, the DGC is more than a golf course. It has been part of his life for five decades.

“I think I’ve spent more time at DGC out of my waking hours than at home,” he said.

His family lived on Pandara Road in the 1970s, about 50 yards from the sixth-hole green. With no boundary wall separating the course from the road, Ghei could walk in after school to practise.

“My mom used to be in CGHS [Central Government Health Scheme], so we used to stay on Pandara Road, 50 yards away from the sixth hole green,” he recalled.

“Every day after school, I used to just walk into the course from there and with a club and some balls in my pocket, just go around hacking,” he said.

Ghei remembers the course before its redesign in 1975, when Peter Thomson laid out the Peacock Course.

Memorable victories

Over the years, Ghei has won numerous titles at the DGC across junior, amateur and professional competitions. He estimates the number to be between 15 and 20.

His most memorable triumph came in 1995, when he won the Gadgil Western Masters, an Asian Tour event, at the DGC.

“Obviously, winning the Gadgil Western Masters was very, very special; that was the first big event in India,” he recalled.

The televised tournament carried prize money of $500,000, and Ghei secured victory on the final hole.

“Winning it the way I did, on the last hole, couldn’t have been more exciting,” he said.

His first tournament victory also came at the DGC, in 1981.

“I think it was one of these DGC club events. That’s when I started winning tournaments at the club,” he said.

He remembers the year because then DGC Captain Prem Gopal “Biloo” Sethi presented him with the trophies.

Ghei’s first professional title, the ADDI Cup, followed at the same venue in 1992.

Yet, for him, the club’s significance extends beyond his achievements on the course.

“Obviously, winning titles is great. But I think it’s a lot about more than just winning tournaments; it’s about having your friends and having the club like a home. For me, the DGC is probably my first home,” he said.

Nurturing young golfers

Ghei continues to play competitive golf but has also taken an active role in coaching and overseeing junior development at the DGC.

Since last year, he, as head of the DGC’s golf development sub-committee, has introduced a pyramid structure to the programme, which caters to children aged eight to 17.

The Junior Training Programme is the first step in spotting talent. The selected kids are given student membership, and the best are then inducted into the Camp of Excellence. The junior golf development and academy both come under that.

“I’ve been involved with it from the first step, even when I was not involved in the club administration or in the club committee. I’ve been involved in the journey of the academy,” he said.

His long-standing association with the club has also been reflected in successive committee elections.

Ghei received the highest number of votes among the 12 elected members of the DGC general committee in both years. He secured 439 votes last year and 468 this year, finishing 82 votes ahead of the second-placed candidate in the latest election.

For a golfer who once walked onto the course after school with a club and a few balls, the DGC remains central to his life, both as a player and as someone helping develop the next generation.