DGC and DLF events put India firmly on the international golf map

England’s Tommy Fleetwood was a popular winner of the first DP World India Championship at the Delhi Golf Club. Image courtesy of DPWIC.

By Rahul Banerji

Thousands flocked to the matches at the Delhi Golf Club to witness the coronation of Tommy Fleetwood as the first winner of the $4 million DP World India Championship on Sunday.

They had come in droves all week to see some of the best players in the world live and up close. And few would have left disappointed, such was the quality of the golf on offer.

Seven of the top 50 in the world and 10 of the top 100 in the Official World Golf Rankings organized a golf party. They included Open Championship winners Shane Lowry and Brian Harman, DPWIC runner-up Keita Nakajima, and more.

And then there was Rory McIlroy.

Grand Slam winner Rory cIlroy was the face of the $4 million DP World Tour event during his week-long stay in Delhi. Image courtesy of DPWIC.

The Northern Irish star who finally achieved the long-awaited goal of Masters victory and a Grand Slam career, in addition to being part of the Ryder Cup-winning team in New York, was a magnet for the masses of fans.

Star attraction

The brilliant McIlroy has returned as golf’s global spokesman after a brief detour three years ago and was undoubtedly the big draw last week.

The DPWIC also capped off a year that saw India emerge on the international golf stage after a long time.

The positive outpouring on social media was sensational, with Fleetwood, Lowry and a host of others sharing appreciative thoughts on Instagram and X with special words of praise for the hospitality that greeted them, and the DGC course.

Japanese star Keita Nakajima is loving the Indian courses with one win and a second-place finish at the Indian Open in back-to-back years and second behind Fleetwood on Sunday. Image courtesy of DPWIC.

The Delhi Golf Club’s Lodhi course is a far cry from the vast and often exposed courses on which much of the field plies their trade.

It tested some of the skills they had left behind from the early years, and no doubt there are clubs that rarely bring them out on the PGA and DP World Tours.

Back to back

In fact, the DGC event was the second international event in as many weeks as the DLF Golf and Country Club had hosted the final of the Hero Women’s Indian Open last week.

Before that was the Asian Tour’s lofty International Series that kicked off a great year for Indian golf fans.

Boosted by the hugely popular presence of LIV Golf superstar Bryson DeChambeau, it was followed by the Hero Indian Open before the DPWIC arrived as the icing on the cake.

In short, it has been a great year for international golf in India.

A young fan can take a good look at the great field teeing off at the DGC on Sunday. Photo Rahul Banerji.

And it is now up to the sport’s domestic stakeholders – the Indian Golf Union, PGTI, Women’s Golf Association of Indi and its affiliated WPGT and even the nascent IGPL – to translate this enthusiasm for golf into something substantial.

To them.

Also read: Loving father Fleetwood wins DP World India C’ship for son Frankie

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