The 48th edition of India’s oldest-running sporting event comes at a time when Indian golf is at its strongest. With four young champions on three different international Tours, Indian golf has been on a high this year.
All four, including S.S.P. Chowrasia, the current leader on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, will be teeing up at the historic Delhi Golf Club (DGC) in the richest full-field event on the Asian Tour carrying a prize purse of US$1.25 million. The other Indian winners this season are Gaganjeet Bhullar, Anirban Lahiri and Himmat Rai.
Pawan Munjal, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd., said: “Indian golf today reflects the India story – young, talented and confident to take on the world. In many ways, we at Hero also reflect the same spirit. We are a young company with a Brand New Identity – ready to spread our wings across the globe. And therefore, it gives me immense pleasure to see a very strong Indian line-up at the Hero Indian Open 2011. Our players are today a force to be reckoned with in the international golfing greens, and their success abroad has helped golf fast becoming one of the most popular sports in the country. Like in the previous years, the Hero Indian Open 2011 brings together the best of golfing talents from around the world, thereby providing a platform to further popularize the game in India.”
Rohit Amin, President of the Indian Golf Union, said: “The Hero Indian Open Golf Championship is the flagship event of Indian golf. The national Open in any country evokes a great deal of excitement, not only because of the high quality of the field, but also because of the importance attached to the national title. I have, time and again heard India’s top players say that the Indian Open is like a Major to them, and who doesn’t want to be called the best golfer in the country.
“W
ith the tournament dating back to 1964 and this being the oldest running annual international sports event in the country, it gives me and the IGU immense pride to see the Indian Open having grown to such a stature, The Indian Golf Union is grateful to Hero MotoCorp for their continued support in sponsoring the event,” added AminExecutive Chairman of the Asian Tour, Kyi Hla Han, said: "The Hero Indian Open is truly an important championship on the Asian Tour Schedule and this is reflected by the participation of all the top players from the Asian Tour. With the Order of Merit race again set to be a closely fought contest, this will add another exciting dimension to the tournament. "I would like to express our fullest appreciation to Hero MotoCorp for its commitment and support of the game in India and across Asia.”
Yannick Colaco, COO, Nimbus Sport said: “Our investments in golf are part of our long term commitment towards developing the commercial value of sport in India and across Asia. The Hero Indian Open is one of the most prestigious golf events in Asia and we are privileged to begin our journey in the sport with Hero as a partner.”
The Delhi Golf Club has hosted the Indian Open the most number of times and the course, located in the heart of the Indian capital is a challenging one, requiring the players to think and keep it straight.
Indian golfers, considered very strong on the Asian Tour, start as favourites as they have won three of the four international events held at home this year.
Chowrasia, who won his second co-sanctioned event, the Avantha Masters, this season, will have for company the youth brigade of Indian golf, Bhullar, Lahiri and Rai. Chowrasia has finished second in the Indian Open twice, in 1999 and 2006.
Bhullar, who has two Asian Tour titles, added a European Challenge Tour title in India in January this year, while Anirban won the Panasonic Open (India) and Himmat grabbed the ISPS Handa Singapore Classic earlier this month. Looking to follow in their footsteps are Manav Jaini, who has finished in top-four in his last three Asian Tour events at the DGC, and Sujjan Singh, who is 12th in the top-10 of Asian Tour Order of Merit currently.
Randhawa, who is now concentrating on the Asian Tour, has endured a tough season and will relish a return to the Delhi Golf Club, where he has been very successful in the past. Two of his three Indian Open titles have come at the DGC.
Bhullar, 23, the new face of Indian golf, has produced results, which mark him as the man for the future. Lahiri and Himmat, both 24, have also shown great promise and with their maiden Asian Tour titles in the bag, they are on the way to greater heights.
The defending champion Rikard Karlberg of Sweden, whose two wins on the Asian Tour have both come at the DGC, is not going to let go of this chance. He won the title in an exciting battle last year and had earlier won the SAIL Open at the same venue.
Also expected to contend and be in the thick of action is Thaworn Wiratchant, who has 12 Asian Tour titles against his name and is looking to catch fellow Thai, Thongchai Jaidee, who holds the record of 13.
Molinari will make his debut in the Hero Indian Open on the back of a successful 2010 campaign where he won twice to force his way into the Ryder Cup team which Europe won. With his brother Francesco, he also made golf history for Italy by winning the 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup in China for the first time. He then claimed victory in the Dunlop Phoenix tournament in Japan in the following week.
One of India’s eternal golfing heroes, Ali Sher’s Indian Open win in 1991 was the first by an Indian professional in the event. This year Indian golf and Ali Sher celebrate the 20th anniversary of India’s first international win by a professional. In the two decades since, Indians have won more than 50 titles on Asian, European, Japan and US Tours.
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