I have been waiting for the DP World India Championship from the beginning of this year – ever since Rory McIlroy confirmed to me in January that he is almost certain of signing the contract and coming to India for the first time. A long wait, but it was absolutely worth it.
The inaugural event delivered everything that you could expect from a big-ticket event, but there were some disappointments as well. Here is my list of winners and losers from one of the finest weeks of golf in the country.
WINNERS:
Tommy Fleetwood – He came into the tournament as the world No5 and the reigning FedEx Cup champion. He is also the brand ambassador of the sponsor, DP World. And he was 94th in the Race to Dubai rankings. If not for the fact that all Ryder Cup players this year have been exempted to the Playoffs, he would not have made it to Abu Dhabi HSBC Champions (only the top-70 qualify) and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship (only the top-50 qualify).
Fleetwood wanted to qualify the proper way, and he did that. And throughout, just as he did at East Lake in the Tour Championship, his demeanour and his interaction with fans made him the people’s champion.
Keita Nakajima – He loves India. So far, he has won and finished second in two Hero Indian Opens at DLF, and was second again while facing a very different challenge of the DGC. A remarkable player who is sure to become the next Hideki Matsuyama for Japan.
Rory McIlroy – The world No2 and the reigning Masters champion did not even finish in the top-10, but that did not matter in the end. We were just more than happy to see a golfer of his calibre play on our soil. And it wasn’t as if he played terribly. He just did not get on a run, like he usually does in every tournament he plays.
DP World – Fantastic sponsors. They put India firmly on the golfing map. From the build-up to the execution, from the quality of the field to the incredible evening they put together for the invited guests at the party – it was top-notch effort.
But the best thing is, they want to sustain it and build on the momentum. In an interaction with the media, Group Deputy CEO and CFO Yuvraj Narayan promised that, like every other business association of theirs, they will continue to support the event for a long time. They have been the sponsors of the $10 million DP World Tour Championship for the last 16 years, so this really is good news for the fans.
PGTI – The domestic tour, which co-sanctioned the event, usually takes a back seat, content with just the sanctioning money coming in. It was not the case this time. The entire staff was at the course, led by Chairman Kapil Dev and Commissioner Amandeep Johl. A full-fledged chalet was set up for PGTI guests, and the media team was in full force, actively producing content. On Saturday night, supporters of Indian professional golf were invited for an evening party at the nearby Oberois. They really did their best to leverage the tournament.
Delhi Golf Club – The real star of the event. Despite the heavy rain that Delhi received the week before the championship, it really held up well. The patchy greens and fairway areas could not have been avoided. But the conditions were the same for everyone, and none of the stars complained. The fairways started firming up and running properly by the first round.
And it provided the kind of test we all love. The DGC course is only 6,912 yards for a par-72, but it showed once again that size does not matter. It completely dictated play, and anyone who defied its diktat was punished.
Indian fans – The European Ryder Cup players thought the Indian fans were incredibly well-behaved. Even though scarred by the recent events at Bethpage Black, they were not far from the truth. The galleries were large, and very appreciative. I guess the only black mark against them was the incessant ringing of cell phones and people talking mindlessly on them.
LOSERS:
Indian fans (again!) – You win some, you lose some! I am putting the Indian fans in the losers’ list as well, because they were unable to watch the most beautiful thing in golf – McIlroy’s drives. The shape, the sound, the monotony of a classic swing, it has wooed fans the world over. McIlroy was among the many players in the field who did not put the driver in the bag at DGC.
Indian players – I did write before the event that Indian players are not going to be the force they once used to be at the DGC. But to see only five of them making it to the weekend, and none of them finishing in the top-30, was heartbreaking. Honestly, even with the quality of the opposition that they faced, the results should have been far better. I expected a couple of Indians in the top-10 at least.
The Indian Golf Union – Surprised? Honestly, IGU was not involved with the tournament. And that is also the reason why I have named them in this list. For the governing body to remain a mute spectator during the biggest moment of their sport in the country, is unfathomable.
It’s not that the IGU are not known to the DP World Tour and the PGTI. They do the Hero Indian Open together. If they wanted to do any kind of activation, they would have gotten the permissions.
However, the IGU is so completely devoid of ideas and in such a quagmire because of internal politics, they failed to capitalise and ride the biggest wave of golf that hit the country.
THE WEEK THAT WAS
PGA TOUR:
Tournament: No event last week
Next event: Bank of Utah Championship
LIV GOLF:
Tournament: No event last week
Next event: Liv Golf Riyadh (2026 season)
DP WORLD TOUR:
Tournament: DP World India Championship
Winner: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
Winning score: 66-67-64-72 (22-under par)
Prize purse/Winner’s cheque: US$4 million/US$680,000
Indians in the field: Shiv Kapur T32nd (72-69-70-68); Dhruv Sheoran T36th (68-73-67-72); Shubhankar Sharma T56th (74-66-71-74); Anirban Lahiri T56th (70-71-73-71); Abhinav Lohan T63rd (70-72-73-72)
Next event: Genesis Championship
Results | Report
LPGA:
Tournament: BMW Ladies Championship
Winner: Sei Young Kim (KOR)
Winning score: 62-66-69-67 (24-under par)
Prize purse/Winner’s cheque: US$2.3 million/US$345,000
Indians in the field: None
Next event: Hanwha LifePlus International Crown
Results | Report
ASIAN TOUR:
Tournament: SJM Macao Open
Winner: Dominic Foos (GER), beating Wang Wei-hsuan (CTE) in a playoff
Winning score: 64-68-68-63 (17-under par)
Prize purse/Winner’s cheque: US$1 million/US$180,000
Indians in the field: Pukhraj Singh Gill T49th (65-73-70-70); Viraj Madappa T53rd (67-71-71-70); SSP Chawrasia T66th (68-71-74-73)
Next event: International Series Philippines
Results | Report
KORN FERRY TOUR:
Tournament: No event last week
Next event: Season restarts in 2026
LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR:
Tournament: No event last week
Next event: Wistron Ladies Open
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT TOUR:
Tournament: No event last week
Next event: ADT Players Championship presented by The R&A
PGTI TOUR
Tournament: DP World India Championship
Details under: DP World Tour
