The Asian Swing continues as the DP World Tour returns to the beautiful but punishing DLF Golf and Country Club for the Hero Indian Open. Here are your five things to know.
Chacarra defends
Eugenio Chacarra claimed his maiden DP World Tour title on just his ninth appearance last year, recovering from a rocky start to his final round before pulling clear with a brilliant birdie burst to win by two shots. The Spaniard took a slender one-shot lead into the fourth round but slipped from the top of the leaderboard after carding a double bogey on the first and a bogey at the third to return to level par for the week. But he bounced back in style, making birdies at the sixth, ninth, 11th, 12th and 14th to open up a four-shot lead and regain control of the tournament. He finished on four under, two shots clear of Keita Nakajima in second place, while Joost Luiten was another stroke back in third. "I know when I play my best I’m one of the best players in the world, I’ve already proved that a million times," he said. "It’s just awesome - it’s going to need to sink in but really proud and just happy.” He went on to finish 36th on the Race to Dubai and tees it up after a six-week break from DP World Tour action where he secured a top 25 on the PGA TOUR.
Bhatia makes first trip to India
Hero MotoCorp global ambassador Akshay Bhatia will tee it up for the first time in India as he makes his debut. American Bhatia was born and raised in California and North Carolina but has Indian roots and has always expressed a desire to play in the country. His recent win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard raised him to a career high 19th on the Official World Golf Ranking as part of a run of five consecutive top 20s on the PGA TOUR. He is sure to take huge galleries with him and the fans will also have plenty of local talent to cheer including fellow Hero ambassador Rayhan Thomas. Yuvraj Sandhu earned his DP World Tour card by topping last season's Professional Golf Tour of India Order of Merit, winning seven titles along the way, and he is joined by two-time DP World Tour winner Shubhankar Sharma and a host of Indian stars.
Into the Swing
Jordan Gumberg claimed his second DP World Tour title last week to top the early Asian Swing Rankings and tees it up again this week. The American has one Major appearance under his belt at the 2023 U.S. Open and will now be gunning for another, with the top three players in the Rankings at the end of Asian Swing earning a place in the US PGA Championship. A man renowned for a busy playing schedule, he is set to play all four counting events on the Swing so is in a good position to win the whole thing and gain entry into every event in Phase Two of the season - the Back 9 - and a US$200,000 bonus. Jorge Campillo, Adrian Otaegui and Marcus Armitage - all in the top five in the Swing Rankings - are also in the field this week.
Inside the field
Casey Jarvis is back in action this week in his last start before his Masters debut and is joined by fellow 2026 DP World Tour winners Nacho Elvira, Freddy Schott, Dan Bradbury and David Puig. Major champion and Ryder Cup hero Francesco Molinari makes his second consecutive start and is joined by brother Edoardo, who is making his comeback from a thumb injury which has ruled him out since August. Andy Sullivan, Julien Guerrier, Calum Hill, Campillo, Armitage and Angel Ayora are all flying high in the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World and will be looking to maintain momentum alongside Gumberg.
DLF G&CC set to test the best again
The beauty is a beast but we wouldn't have it any other way when we come to DLF G&CC. Last season just three players finished under par with only the par-five fourth (4.90) and par-four ninth (3.96) playing under their respective pars. Since we first came here in 2008 for the Johnnie Walker Classic there have been ten events played at DLF G&CC, with the average score for a round 1.25 over par. The total of 13,458 birdies and 324 eagles may seem hefty but is more than cancelled out by 12,521 bogeys, 2,337 doubles and 573 scores of more than plus two. We have, however, seen two albatrosses at the fourth and 18th and eight aces, with three of those coming last season. Rarely is field versus course more intriguing than at DLF G&CC.
