Experience, youth carry home hopes at DP World India C’ship

The consistent Saptak Talwar will want to make every shot at the DP World India Championship this week count in his quest for playing rights in Europe. Image courtesy DPWIC.

Experience, youth carry home hopes at DP World India Championship

By Rahul Banerji

The home challenge at the $4 million DP World India Championship will once again be in the hands of a contingent that is a good mix of experience and youth.

Thirty-one Indians are in the field where Anirban Lahiri and Shubhankar Sharma represent one end of the scale with their feats overseas. At the other is a group of hungry young stars from the domestic circuit.

Adding some recent international experience are Saptak Talwar, Veer Ahlawat and Yuvraj Sandhu, who were in India colours at the Asian Games in Japan.

The Nagoya Games may have ended without a medal for India’s men’s golf team, but they returned with the taste of competing under pressure against some of Asia’s best.

The Asiad field included eventual winner and PGA Tour star Joohyung ‘Tom’ Kim, and former Indian Open champion Keita Nakajima, who is bound for the PGA Tour.

Race to DP World India Championship leader Talwar, Ahlawat and Sandhu now head into the event at Delhi Golf Club from October 15 to 18 with some valuable top-notch exposure. 

In Nagoya, Talwar and Ahlawat tied for sixth place while Sandhu was further down the order.

That experience could prove particularly useful when they step into the much bigger arena of the DP World India Championship, co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and DP World PGTI.

Tough task

At DGC, they will be up against the likes of defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy, The Open champion Ryan Fox, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Patrick Reed, and PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai.

Rising to the occasion in all aspects of the game — and in the mind — will be critical for the domestic squad.

Talwar, for one, has made striking progress. The 27-year-old was among the most consistent on the DP World PGTI this season and leads the Order of Merit by a healthy margin. 

He won the Indorama Ventures Open and was second at the DP World–PGTI Open, co-sanctioned with HotelPlanner Tour, and third at the Andhra Open. There were also top 10 finishes in Srinagar, Kolar and Chennai and several top 15 placings. 

Coming into the week, Saptak, heavily favoured to top the Order of Merit, said, “Being the Order of Merit leader there’s a sense of responsibility and a little bit of pressure. But I think it’s also a place of privilege. I’m excited to be in this position.

“The DGC is very special to me. I’ve grown up playing on the B course here.

“But it’s important to not get ahead of myself. It’s just a matter of staying in the present and if I take care of the stuff that’s in my control, I think I should be in a good spot. I certainly feel like I have the game to do well this week.”

However, a late charge by four-time winner Khalin Joshi and consistent performances by Ahlawat late in the domestic season have created an interesting situation heading into the DPWIC.

With a DP World Tour card and an early start on the European circuit beckoning, the race to top the domestic rankings is now strikingly poised. Talwar holds a healthy edge but knows he still has to turn in a strong performance this week to cap off the season.

Rousing run

Joshi has been in rousing form through the year. Starting with the Andhra Open in April, he added the J&K Open in August and wins at Naya Raipur and Bangalore in September to power up the rankings into second place behind Talwar. 

Said the Bangalore golfer ahead of the DPWIC, “All of us here from the top 24 of the DP World PGTI will look to put our best foot forward this week and show what we’re all made of.

“I have great memories of DGC as I’ve won here in the past.  So, I’m looking forward to having another positive week. Hopefully, I can replicate my form from the past few weeks and have a shot at the title.

“This season my mindset on the course has been much better. I’m a lot calmer and more confident going into a tournament now and that’s been the big change in my game.”

Ahlawat’s journey has been equally encouraging. The 2024 Order of Merit champion may not have won in 2026 but has had an excellent run through the season. 

Nine top 10 placings, seven times inside the top 5 in 12 starts saw the Gurgaon golfer rise to third in the rankings list. At Nagoya, Ahlawat got better through the week.

While the Kapil Dev Invitational last week may not have gone to plan — Ahlawat was tied for 14th behind winner Shubhankar Sharma — he still made gains on the money list and has given himself a fair shot at returning to the DP World Tour.

“It’s the strongest field we play against the whole year and we’re all (Indian players) really looking forward to this week,” Ahlawat said.

“We all play on this course enough so we know this course pretty well so the Indian players will look to make the most of this opportunity.

“I’ve played a lot of big events as I’ve played on the DP World Tour for a year. So, I know how to play with loads of people watching and all those things.

“On this course, it’s a different kind of game that you have to play. You have to be very precise of the tee, second shots and especially chipping on the green. 

“You also have to be very smart. You can’t just hit drivers all the time. I’m not keeping my driver in the bag this week.”

The Delhi event will be very different from a domestic tournament. The depth and quality of the opposition are going to be many times higher but Talwar, Ahlawat and Sandhu have the benefit of a similar experience in Japan.

Add the quality of Lahiri, Sharma and Shiv Kapoor to the mix with Gaganjeet Bhullar having withdrawn owing to a shoulder injury, and the domestic challenge begins take on a solid look.

Also read: PGA champ Rai set for DP World India Championship debut