The experienced duo of Shubhankar Sharma and Anirban Lahiri will lead a 27-strong Indian challenge against a star-studded field featuring seven Major winners, including Rory McIlroy, at the USD four million DP World India Championship beginning here on Thursday.
Co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), the championship will feature a strong Indian contingent led by Sharma, Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar, alongside in-form domestic players such as Saptak Talwar, Khalin Joshi, Veer Ahlawat and Yuvraj Sandhu.
A total of 144 golfers will be in action at the Delhi Golf Club.
Sharma heads into the tournament with renewed confidence after winning the Kapil Dev Invitational Tour Championship last week, while Lahiri returns to competition after a seven-week break during which he focused on fitness, recovery and mental freshness.
“My main goal of playing last week was to gain some momentum coming into this week. I wasn’t thinking about winning,” said Sharma in an interaction earlier this week.
The two-time DP World Tour winner, who struggled to convert practice into results in recent weeks, said returning to the basics has been the biggest positive from his victory.
“It was just fundamentals, just the basics which we had to figure out and we did that. That was my biggest victory.
“Personally for me, I always wanted to play a big event here and have the chance to win on the 18th hole,” he said.
Lahiri, meanwhile, is looking to turn a difficult season around after admitting he was dissatisfied with his performances at LIV Golf, which has gone bankrupt putting several golfers’ future in jeopardy.
“I wasn’t very happy with how I played the season. It was probably my weakest season in the last few,” he admitted.
“I’m excited. I’m fresh. Mentally I’m in a really good space,” Lahiri said ahead of his return to a course where he first competed in a C-category tournament in 1999.
Also in the mix will be Bhullar, who is coming into the event after securing the Krishna Invitational Hyderabad for his fifth AM Green IGPL title and second of the 2026 season.
“I’m looking forward to playing across India. I have spent most of my professional career competing on the Asian and European circuits, and the DP World India Championship gives me another opportunity to test myself against a world-class field,” said the 38-year-old, a winner of 11 Asian Tour titles with the 2023 Indonesian Masters being his last.
The international challenge will be led by McIlroy, a Career Grand Slam winner, and Tommy Fleetwood, who returns as defending champion. The field also includes Major champions Justin Rose, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson and Shane Lowry, among other leading names.
“It’s always fun to play in new events and this is one that I was happy to be able to add to my schedule. I’ve heard that Delhi Golf Club is a great test, and golf fans in India are very passionate, so I’m looking forward to the week,” said two-time Masters winner Watson, who claimed the Green Jacket in 2012 and 2014.
There will also be US PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai making his debut, while Grant Forrest, fresh from his win at the Open de Espana, too would be eager to make a mark.
European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, Ryder Cup star Viktor Hovland and DP World Tour and PGA TOUR winner Min Woo Lee too will also be in action this week.
For the Indian professionals on the DP World PGTI circuit, the championship also carries significance beyond the title.
(PTI)
