New Delhi: Over the course of the past six days, players and officials have repeatedly spoken about the DP World India Championship being an opportunity of a lifetime for Indian pros to step up to the big league. Never before had an event of this magnitude – $4mn to play for – come to India, and the presence of world No.2 Rory McIlroy and world No.5 Tommy Fleetwood, the eventual winner, sent the stature for the tournament soaring.
Among Indians, the seasoned Shiv Kapur (72-69-70-68) finished the best at T-32 after a 9-under 279. Dhruv Sheoran (68-73-67-72) was the next best after a final round 72, ending T-36 at 8-under 280.
Shubhankar Sharma and Anirban Lahiri, who have both won twice on the European tour, finished T-56 at 3-under 285. Abhinav Lohan was T-63 (1-under 287).
Overall, 26 Indians entered and only five could make the cut. In that respect, the tournament was a crude reminder how far back the best Indians are compared to their counterparts on the European Tour.
In a tournament where the winning score was 22-under, the cut fell at 2-under, and the winner dropped just four shots across four days, it’s safe to say the course and conditions were not exactly the toughest. The DGC course demands discipline – hit straight, stay clear of the thick bushes and the rough, find the fairways and be smart with iron selection. But despite having played here a number of times, none of the Indians could make a lasting impression.
The last time an Indian won a European event was in August 2018 when Gaganjeet Bhullar won the Fiji International. The last time an Indian won an international event at the DGC was also in 2018 when Khalin Joshi triumphed in the Panasonic Open. Shubhankar, lauded as the next big Indian golf hope, last won on the European tour in February 2018. Only two Indians have the full season card on the DP World Tour, Veer Ahlawat having joined Shubhankar this season by virtue of topping the PGTI Order of Merit.
Sharma though has missed 21 cuts from 28 events and Ahlawat nine cuts in 20 outings, including here.
“It’s tough to get used to different courses and conditions,” said Shubhankar. “I have been on the European tour for sometime now and I know that skill-wise we are world class, but I guess it’s mentally where we lack a little. We should be mentally stronger.”
But for the likes of Gaganjeet Bhullar and SSP Chawrasia not getting an invitation from the domestic Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) – due to their affiliation with IGPL – for this event, a few more Indians would have been in the field. Chawrasia, who at 47 still has a fine short game, won the Indian Open (2016) and the $2.5 million Indian Masters European Tour event (2008) at the DGC.
In fact, in the run-up to the tournament, Rory McIlroy had spoken about the need to model one’s game on Chawrasia’s to succeed at the Lodhi course. Shiv Kapur, who is also with IGPL, got the PGTI invite and finished as the best Indian.
