All eyes on McIlroy, Lowry and Fleetwood As DP World India Championships Begins At Delhi Golf Club

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Oct 15: Rory McIlroy tees off from the 10th hole at the historic Delhi Golf Club for the $4 million DP World India Championships here on Thursday morning.

The five-time Major champion headlines a field that includes Ryder Cup European teammates Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood, his captain Luke Donald and a host of world-class players including Viktor Hovland and Ben Griffin.

Of these, Fleetwood and Lowry are perhaps the only two who have been to India before – Fleetwood played at the Indian Open in 2016 and Lowry further back in 2010, when he played the Avantha Masters. Since then, both players have had a successful career and come into the week with not just the Ryder Cup trophy under their belts but also ranked fifth and 25th in the world.

However, it won’t be an easy outing for McIlroy on a course that some describe as ‘claustrophobic’ for its narrow lines with little scope for error. “I guess the immediate thing I’m hoping for right now is to play good first two days and at least be here for the weekend and hopefully enjoy the weekend after that,” McIlroy admitted on the eve of the event.

McIlroy has been teamed with Viktor Hovland and US Ryder Cup team member Ben Griffin to start from the 10th tee at 7.25 am while Lowry, Fleetwood and Donald will begin at 12.10 pm from the 1st.

In the mix will also be 26 Indians including Anirban Lahiri, Shiv Kapur and Shubhankar Sharma, golfers who have had a lot of experience on the course and hoping to ride the home advantage in their search for a DP World Tour title at home. Kapur, Lahiri and Sharma will all be in action early morning.

The DP World India Championship, the richest-ever professional golf event in India with a $4 million prize fund – for context, the Indian Open, the marquee event so far in the country, had a $2.25 million purse – will also have Indian youngsters Veer Ahlawat and Yuvraj Singh keen to impress.

The first tee off has been scheduled at 6.35 a.m with the last group at 1 pm and the way Delhi’s weather has been behaving, when you start could end up making a lot of difference to the final outcome.

Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood expand DP World global grassroots golf initiative in India

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Oct 15: The world’s leading provider of smart logistics, DP World, announced the expansion of its global Clubhouse initiative to India, continuing its mission to make the game more accessible by providing purpose-built facilities to underserved youth around the world.

As an extension of DP World’s association with the DP World India Championship, a Clubhouse was provided to the ZEN GOLF Range & Academy – a community driven organisation based in Gurugram, India, committed to making golf more inclusive and accessible to local youth.

The launch marks the second milestone in the programme following the inaugural Clubhouse opening in Cape Town, South Africa earlier this year, which was delivered to the Sally Litte Golf Trust. Leveraging DP World’s smart logistics capabilities, each Clubhouse is built using repurposed shipping containers and tailored to the needs of the local community, providing golf equipment, sheltered training areas and a safe space for young talent to develop both their sporting and life skills.

In the run up to the tournament week, DP World also unveiled a pop-up Clubhouse experience in the Fan Zone at Delhi Golf Club, giving visitors a glimpse of what’s to come. Fans tried their hand at mini-golf, simulators and chipping challenges, alongside ZEN GOLF students and local community guests.

Daniel van Otterdijk, Group Chief Communications Officer, DP World, said “We’re incredibly proud to partner with ZEN GOLF Range & Academy and bring the DP World Clubhouse initiative to India. At DP World, we’re using the power of logistics to create opportunities – giving new life to our containers and opening new doors for communities to connect with golf. By supporting grassroots talent, we hope to build a more inclusive future for the game, while empowering young talent through mentorship, education and sport”.

Hemant Kumar Ruia, Country Manager, DP World India Subcontinent, said, “DP World Clubhouse coming to India reflects our commitment to advancing the sport through sustainable infrastructure and opportunity. Sport grows when access meets purpose and by repurposing our assets to support grassroots golf, we’re helping young talent develop the skills and mindset to pursue their passion for sport. This initiative reflects our belief that progress in sport is like in trade, comes from building the right infrastructure to enable potential to perform.”

The DP World Clubhouse Fan Zone welcomed young golfers from ZEN GOLF Range & Academy, special guests and tournament players. There was even a surprise appearance from Rory Mcllroy and Tommy Fleetwood who met with students and spoke about the importance of access to the sport and shaping the next generation of players.

Shyam Grover, Managing Director of ZEN GOLF Range & Academy, said “We’re incredibly proud to be chosen as DP World’s partner in this great initiative. This new space will make a real difference to our academy – giving our students access to better facilities, new technology, and a place they can feel inspired to grow. Our students are thrilled about this news, and we can’t wait to integrate it into our junior coaching sessions”.

The DP World Clubhouse programme, which will continue to expand globally over the next years, will be linked to key moments in the global golf calendar – in connection to DP World’s role as title partner of the DP World Tour and a Worldwide Partner of the Ryder Cup.