Out of the Rough: DP World India Championship (2026)

With just two events remaining in the DP World Tour’s regular season, the Tour heads to India for the second edition of the DP World India Championship.

Last year was the inaugural playing of this event, won by Tommy Fleetwood. The Tour returns this season to once again take on the Delhi Golf Club, set in the heart of the capital city of India.

Prior to hosting last year’s installment of the DP World India Championship, the Delhi Golf Club had hosted a DP World Tour event ten years prior.

It last hosted the Indian Open in 2016 and most recently hosted The DGC Open presented by Mastercard of the Asian PGA Tour in 2023.

The Field

As it is crunch time for both those seeking a PGA Tour or DP World Tour card for 2027, like last year, this event is drawing a star-studded field.

The field will be headlined by Rory McIlroy. McIlroy played this event a season ago as well.

Defending champion Fleetwood also returns this week to help headline the field alongside McIlroy.

The Open Championship winner Ryan Fox and PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai will also be making the trip to India this week.

Other notable PGA Tour regulars playing this week include Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland and Nicolai Hojgaard.

With the recent news of players looking to leave the LIV Golf Tour, many will continue their journey on acquiring a DP World Tour card and playing this week.

That list includes Alfred Dunhill Links Championship winner Adrian Meronk along with Elvis Smylie, Byeong Hun An, Tom McKibbin, Laurie Canter and Thomas Detry.

Each of the top-ten within the Race to Dubai standings currently in line to receive a PGA Tour card will be teeing it up this week as well.

That list includes Patrick Reed, Eugenio Chacarra, Casey Jarvis, Jayden Schaper, Andy Sullivan, Jacob Skov Olesen, Bernd Wiesberger, Oliver Lindell, Daniel Hillier and Joe Dean.

The Course

Delhi Golf Course, or the Lodhi, as it is known locally was founded in 1951 and designed by General J.H. Wilkinson.

It plays as a par-72 at roughly 6,912 yards.

The Delhi Golf Club is one of the most unique courses in the world as players must navigate Mughal-era surroundings, including centuries-old monuments.

Additionally, golfers will all-but-certainly encounter a wide variety of wildlife this week, including snakes, nilgai and peacocks. Among the wildlife is a wide-variety of birds, in which each hole is named after a bird.

Delhi Golf Club shows its teeth off-the-tee with each fairway being lined by native trees, bushes and native vegetation.

Oftentimes, such hazards come into play merely a few steps from the edge of the fairway. Even a slight miss may find the ball rolling into a bush and requiring the player to take a drop. 

Many of the holes feature dog-logs, often left-to-right which plays into the cross winds that often come left-to-right at the facility. The fairways too are contoured in a way to run the ball left-to-right.

From there, golfers will look to attack these oddly shaped Bermuda grass greens in which no green is the same. Heck, there’s even an “L” shaped green.

Hole 16 features a tree in the middle of the fairway that serves as a “ball magnet" as well.

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday is calling for just a ten-percent chance of precipitation. Friday is calling for a 35-percent chance of a morning thunderstorm. Saturday is calling for just a ten-percent chance of precipitation and Sunday a five-percent chance. Temperatures will be warmer than what the Tour has seen as of late during its European swing. Temperatures will begin the week with a high of 89-degrees on Thursday. Temperatures will drop to 87-degrees on Friday before returning to 89-degrees on Saturday. Temperature will finish the week at 88-degrees on Sunday. Winds will begin at seven miles-per-hour for Thursday before peaking at eight miles-per-hour on Friday. Winds will return to seven miles–per-hour across the weekend.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (SG: TTG) 

• Driving Accuracy Percentage

• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: PUTT)

• Three-Putt Avoidance

• Par 5 Average Scoring

• Scrambing

Betting Card

Min Woo Lee (+1800)

We haven’t seen a ton of Min Woo Lee as of late. What we did see was a T9th finish last week at the Baycurrent Classic on the PGA Tour and a T4th at the TOUR Championship in his start prior. On the PGA Tour, Lee is currently 27th in SG: TTG, 28th in scrambling, 44th in par-five average scoring, 75th in SG: PUTT, 101st in three-putt avoidance and 106th in driving accuracy percentage. He didn’t play this event a season ago and he hasn’t played a DP World Tour event since two stops in Australia to start the season. He brings a world-class short game with the ability to spike with the irons and has back-to-back great starts on the PGA Tour.

Aaron Rai (+2450)

This was my first click this week. This just seems like the ideal place for Rai to get back in the winner’s circle on the DP World Tour. He is currently second on the DP World Tour in both three-putt avoidance and scrambling, seventh in driving accuracy percentage, 24th in SG: TTG, 121st in SG: PUTT and 150th in par-five average scoring. The putting figure is a bit worrisome but with being second on Tour in three-putt avoidance, it proves he’s not missing putts by much. He last played the BMW PGA Championship on the DP World Tour where he was the runner-up. Prior to that he placed T16th at the BMW Championship on the PGA Tour. Like Lee, he too will be making his DP World India Championship debut this week. 

Bernd Wiesberger (+7000)

Unlike our prior two suggestions, Wiesberger did play this event a season ago, placing T17th. He too is in some good form coming into this week and has been in pretty good form this entire season. He placed 13th last week at the Open de Espana presented by Madrid. He missed the cut at the BMW PGA Championship but placed 22nd at the Amgen Irish Open, fourth at the Omega European Masters and 37th at the Husqvarna British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo across his last five outings. He has a victory on the season, winning the Volvo China Open. Wiesberger is currently 13th on Tour in SG: TTG, 23rd in driving accuracy percentage, 36th in scrambling, 62nd in par-five average scoring, 67th in three-putt avoidance and 127th in SG: PUTT.

Martin Covura (+8000)

It’s been awhile but I’m excited to see Couvra playing some good golf again. At the beginning of the season, we all thought he for sure would be near the top of the Race to Dubai Standings, or at least fighting for a PGA Tour card. That hasn’t been the case for the Frenchman this season but he has found some form as of late. He placed 11th last week at the Open de Espana presented by Madrid. He also placed 20th at the FedEx Open de France and 56th at the BMW PGA Championship. Like Wiesberger, he placed T17th at this event a season ago. Couvra is currently 25th on Tour in scrambling, 33rd in SG: TTG, 45th in three-putt avoidance, 68th in driving accuracy percentage, 76th in par-five average scoring and 111th in SG: PUTT. 

Kota Kaneko (+25000)

This is a massive number for someone who has a victory on the season, winning the Austrian Alpine Open. Kaneko had a stretch earlier this season, around the victory, where he was red hot. He has since fallen out of form but has shown some life as of late. He last played the FedEx Open de France where he placed 41st. He also placed 62nd at the BMW PGA Championship. Reflecting back to the earlier portion of the season where he also was the runner-up at the Soudal Open, placed ninth at the Turkish Airlines Open and 11th at the DS Automobiles 83° Open d'Italia, we know what kind of golf he can play. With a few decent finishes as of late, taking to a course that fits his game and heading to a portion of the World he knows best, this could be a get-right week for Kaneko. On Tour he is currently third in SG: PUTT, eighth in both three-putt avoidance and scrambling, 11th in driving accuracy percentage, 65th in par-five average scoring and 121st in SG: TTG. He too will be making his DP World India Championship preview article below.

2025 Betting Card

• Brian Harman (+2200) - T26th

• John Parry (+4500) - MC

• Adrien Saddier (+6000) - MC

• Jeff Winther (+12500) - MC

• Ben Schmidt (+20000) - T11th

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