Shubhankar Sharma will be proudly flying the home flag at this week’s Hero Indian Open as he returns to DLF Golf & Country Club for what he regards as his ‘fifth major’.
The 27-year-old arrives in New Delhi buoyed by a return to form at last week’s Porsche Singapore Classic, where he finished in a share of seventh, as he goes in search of a long-awaited third DP World Tour win.
The former Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year is joined by a strong field this week, which includes last year’s Hero Indian Open runner-up Yannik Paul of Germany and four-time DP World Tour winner Rasmus Højgaard, from Denmark.
Paul held the halfway lead at this tournament last year but was pipped to the post by compatriot Marcel Siem, who ended a near-nine-year wait for his fifth DP World Tour title.
Siem is unable to defend his trophy this year as he recently underwent surgery on a long-standing hip injury.
Making his first start on the DP World Tour outside of Oceania this week is New Zealand’s Kazuma Kobori.
The Kiwi was recently awarded the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit crown, largely thanks to three victories in the space of four weeks at the start of 2024.
Kobori, who only turned professional in November 2023, will have full status on the DP World Tour for the 2025 Race to Dubai and he is excited to make the most of his experience in Delhi this week.
This is the European Tour group’s third consecutive week in India co-sanctioned with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), following back-to-back events on the European Challenge Tour.
John Parry, who won the Delhi Challenge a fortnight ago, is also in the field this week.
