India debut on the playing cards for Rory McIlroy

New Delhi: The long-lasting Delhi Golf Membership (DGC) is about to host a $5 million DP World Tour occasion in October with former world No.1 and four-time main winner Rory McIlroy in attendance, making the upcoming Rolex Collection occasion the most costly golf event — when it comes to prize cash — ever hosted by the nation.

The membership has acquired an in-principle settlement from the DP World Tour for a three-year affiliation and a proper Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) shall be signed when DP World Tour’s Chief Event Enterprise Officer Ben Cowen will come visiting on January 22. A window of October 13-19 has been earmarked for the yet-to-be-named event.

“It’ll be a very new occasion on the European calendar. It’s a significant coup for the DGC which has been made attainable by the efforts of our president Raj Khosla,” membership captain Vikram Seth mentioned.

“It’s a shot within the arm for the membership that has not hosted a significant worldwide occasion for 2 years. Hero Indian Open, the opposite DP World Tour occasion within the nation, has a prize purse of $2.25 million. So, with a $5mn prize cash, we expect the who’s who of worldwide golf to come back to India. We have now positioned a particular request to get Rory McIlroy to India and we’re assured that he’ll present up,” he added.

Since there are not any different tournaments scheduled on the European tour in the course of the October 13-19 window, the potential of prime stars lining up in DGC seems more and more believable.

“With that sort of prize cash, even the gamers who would have reservations about travelling to India will fortunately come and play,” a senior membership official mentioned.

The backchannel negotiations between DP World Tour and the historic membership started final October when Yuvraj Narayan, Group Deputy CEO and CFO of DP World Tour, visited DGC.

Publish its facelift by the legendary Gary Participant in 2019, the membership hosted the primary two editions of DGC Open however the Asian Tour co-sanctioned event has since did not return. “It was certainly unlucky to let DGC Open go for no matter causes. Earlier, we had misplaced the Indian Open to DLF course in Gurugram, however to get a contemporary European Tour occasion of this magnitude will make up for all these losses,” Seth mentioned.

The event comes barely three weeks earlier than the scheduled Asian Tour and LIV Golf-funded $2 million Worldwide Collection – India which can have a galaxy of LIV Tour stars on its roster, headlined by two-time main winner Bryson DeChambeau. Whether or not LIV’s foray in India had a bearing on DP World Tour’s newest affiliation with DGC is anybody’s guess however folks within the know declare the chance can’t be dominated out.

DP World Tour’s strategic partnership with PGTI means prime Indian golfers will get a chance to compete with one of the best in residence circumstances. “We are going to certainly get some confirmed slots for the occasion. I’ll attempt to push for as many spots as attainable for the home gamers once I meet Ben later this month,” PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl assured.

ENDS