New Delhi, Oct 13: Golf fans across India are eagerly counting down to the DP World India Championship 2025, as the iconic Delhi Golf Club (DGC) gears up to host some of the sport's biggest global stars from October 16 to 19. Boasting a record $4 million prize purse, the event promises to be the most prestigious golf tournament ever staged in the country.
The field features world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who will be making his first-ever competitive appearance in India, alongside Ryder Cup teammates Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry, and Luke Donald-the latter returning to play after captaining Europe's winning team in Rome.
Rory's arrival marks a historic moment for Indian golf. Never before has a top-ranked golfer competed in an official
tour event in the country. Back in 2014, Tiger Woods made a brief visit to India but only played an exhibition 14th hole with Hero MotoCorp chairman Pawan Munjal at the DGC. McIlroy's participation therefore represents a major breakthrough in India's growing golf ecosystem.
Representing the home challenge will be Shubhankar Sharma, Anirban Lahiri, Shiv Kapur, and Veer Ahlawat, each eager to test their skills against one of the most powerful international fields ever assembled in Asia.
Missing Masters of Indian Golf
While fans are thrilled to witness McIlroy's debut and the Ryder Cup reunion at the DGC, two of India's most accomplished golfers - SSP Chawrasia and Gaganjeet Bhullar - will be notably absent from the star-studded line-up.
Their omission has drawn widespread attention, given both players' immense contribution to Indian golf's global rise.
Gaganjeet Bhullar, one of India's most decorated professionals, boasts 11 Asian Tour titles - the most by any Indian - including recent wins at the 2023 Indonesian Masters and 2022 Mandiri Indonesia Open. He also recorded a runner-up finish at the 2021 Qatar Masters and a fifth-place finish at the 2019 Magical Kenya Open.
SSP Chawrasia, a four-time European Tour winner, shares a special connection with the Delhi Golf Club - the venue where he made history in 2008 by becoming the first Indian golfer to win a European Tour title on home soil. He also claimed victory at the last DP World Tour event held in India in 2016, before the tournament moved to the DLF Golf & Country Club in Gurugram in 2017.
For fans who have followed their journeys for over two decades, their absence from India's biggest-ever golf week is both surprising and disappointing.
Who Else Missed Out & Why?
According to experts, the absence of Chawrasia and Bhullar stems from an alleged fallout with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) after both players participated in the newly launched Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) - a rival franchise-based tour backed by the Indian Golf Union (IGU), Women's Golf Association of India (WGAI), PGA of India, and the Asian Tour.
The PGTI Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) subsequently issued show-cause notices and provisional suspensions to 17 professionals, including Bhullar, citing a constitutional breach that prohibits players from competing in non-PGTI-sanctioned tournaments.
Industry insiders have likened the controversy to a "LIV Golf vs. PGA" style standoff, where traditional tour control clashes with player autonomy.
Interestingly, the DP World India Championship's entry guidelines state that PGTI event winners in the current season automatically qualify for the event. However, several Indian players who performed consistently - including Shaurya Binu, Aman Raj, and Sachin Baisoya - were not included in the field despite strong records.
Shaurya Binu: Two top finishes in 2024 PGTI season.
Aman Raj: Two top-10 finishes in 2025 season.
Sachin Baisoya: One win and two top-10 finishes over the last two seasons.
Their exclusion has raised eyebrows among Indian golf circles, especially since all three have had impressive domestic runs in recent seasons.
Impact on Indian Golf's Biggest Week
The timing of the suspensions couldn't have been more unfortunate. The DP World India Championship 2025, co-sanctioned by the PGTI, is viewed as the defining moment in modern Indian golf - combining record prize money, global visibility, and a rare opportunity for Indian players to compete alongside the world's best.
The absence of two of India's most recognisable names - Bhullar and Chawrasia - and the young pros like Binu, Raj and Baisoya - has undoubtedly taken some shine off the event from a local perspective. Their presence would have added emotional depth and fan connection to a tournament already bursting with international star power.
Even so, the focus now shifts to India's leading quartet - Shubhankar Sharma, Anirban Lahiri, Shiv Kapur, and Veer Ahlawat - who will carry home hopes at the Delhi Golf Club.
