Heavyweight contests on the cards at DP World India C’ship

World number two Rory McIlroy will want better returns from the DP World India Championship than he managed in the first edition last year at Delhi Golf Club. Image courtesy DPWIC.

Heavyweight contests on the cards at DP World India Championship

By Rahul Banerji

Six major winners mustering 11 wins in all and three of them from the 2026 season alone will line up at the second edition of the DP World India Championship that tees off on Thursday.

Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood will have career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre alongside when he sets out to retain the crystal trophy at the Delhi Golf Club at 7.15 am.

The $4 million event will not only be a step towards deciding the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World but also where the DP World PGTI Order of Merit will see it’s final shape and send the topper to the DP World Tour next season.

In both cases it is a close race.

Patrick Reed of the US heads the DP World OoM standings with Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra hard on his heels. Reed sets off on Thursday with PGA champion Aaron Rai and Open winner Ryan Fox of New Zealand.

Northern Ireland’s McIlroy is looking to make history with an eighth merit victory to break his tie on seven apiece with Scottish legend Colin Montgomerie and he has South African Paul Jarvis following close behind in the rankings.

Different challenge

“This year I think the rough is a lot longer and thicker than it was last year, so that’s going to present a challenge,” McIlroy said on tournament eve. 

“But if you’re hitting irons off tees, you shouldn’t really be in the rough, I will be telling myself that tomorrow.

“I had a wonderful experience here last year, and I come here now as a DP World ambassador. Obviously very happy to be back and representing them.”

Added Fleetwood, “It’s always really nice coming back when you’ve had a great tournament the year before at that venue. 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’m always going to be grateful for the moments that I got with Frankie there on the 18th green.”

Jarvis tees off in a tasty grouping with Anirban Lahiri, who won his last professional title 11 years ago at this venue, and recent Dunhill Links champion Adrian Meronk of Poland.

The Indian battle has season’s leader Saptak Talewar well out in front but the in-form Khalin Joshi has been on a spree of late and has closed the gap while 2024 merit champion Veer Ahlawat could have a say as well.

Early start

Talwar has an early tee-off with alongside Spanish Open winner of last week Grant Forrest and Tom McKibbin but will be preceded by Ahlawat on the opposite side of the course.

Joshi will play the opening two days along with Italy’s Matteo Manassero and Antoine Rozner of France and has a late Tee 1 start.

Certainly, the presence of McIlroy, Reed, Fox, Rai, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry has elevated the DPWIC’s profile as much as that of a host of winners from this season’s schedule.

And with the Race to Dubai Rankings as close as it is, standings leader Reed knows every outing is important.

“You always want to be in this position towards the end of the year to have an opportunity to win,” he told reporters on Wednesday. 

“To be the man on top always feels great. It means a lot, but still a lot of work to be done. With Eugenio and Rory right behind you have to go out and play some solid golf this last stretch, but it’s what we dreamed of.

“Golf is a mental sport. If you start thinking about things way in advance or things that are really not under your control, that’s where the golf game can go the wrong way.

“Hopefully we can go out there and play some solid golf this week and try to separate ourselves a little bit more, but at the end of the day it’s just about going out there and playing solid golf.”

Off-guard

Reed said he was completely unprepared for the DGC. 

“I’ve never come around a golf course like this before. It’s one of those that it’s completely different than I would expect. I came here, and looking at the yardage and stuff, was like, man, guys are going to shoot nothing. There is going to be so many birdies. 

“It’s really short. It’s going to be a bunch of wedges. With how narrow the fairways are and how thick the rough is, I mean basically it’s reload because it’s in the jungle.

“It’s been a lot of fun. You have to be creative around here. It was the first time I ever played two par fives backwards. I hit iron off the tee and three wood to the green.

“It’s one of those golf courses, it’s going to be about positioning yourself, and also be patient.”