New Delhi: The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) on Monday announced a rejig of its domestic calendar to introduce the Road to DP World India Championship, making it the season-ending competition for Indian pros.
They will serve to identify the top 24 players who will earn their spot in the $4million DP World India Championship, the international event to be played at the Delhi Golf Club. Additionally, the top 60 players on the PGTI Order of Merit will retain their playing rights for the 2027 season, it was announced. The Race will end with the inaugural ₹ 2 crore Kapil Dev Invitational Tour Championship which will be held at the Jaypee Greens, Greater Noida, from September 30–October 3.
A set of nine tournaments will form part of the Race to DP World India Championship. The first three events of the Race – J&K Open, Coal India Open and Kolar Open – were played in the first three weeks of August.
“We are expecting a total of 28-29 Indians, which is roughly one-fifth or one-sixth of the field. Because our Order of Merit was only announced in December whereas the DP World Tour starts in November, our top player tends to miss 4-5 events. Because we would have crowned our (OoM) champion in October, he will get a chance to go to Europe at the start of their season,” PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl said, so, this year.
I hope for an improved show from the Indians,” Johl said. “This is done to ensure the PGTI Order of Merit leader who gets to play on the DP World Tour (European Tour) doesn’t miss out on the European tournaments. The second edition of DP World India Championship will again attract the cream of global golf, headlined by reigning Masters winner Rory McIlroy, current Open champion Ryan Fox, defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, and Major winner Shane Lowry, among others.
Last year, our boys were a little intimidated by the field but I think they’ll be better equipped this time.
