New Delhi:
The creme de la creme of Indian golf, including PGA Tour winner Arjun Atwal and seasoned stars Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa, will be in action when the Hero Honda Indian Open returns to its 'spiritual home' --the Delhi Golf Course -- for the 47th edition next month.
Held at the DLF Golf and Country Club last year, the USD 1.25 million Asian Tour and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) co-sanctioned event returns to the familiar environs of the DGC with a star-studded field from December 2 to 5.
Besides the trio of Atwal, who made history by becoming the first Indian to clinch a PGA title by lifting the Wyndham Championship trophy in August, Jeev and Randhawa, the tournament will also feature defending champion C Muniyappa, Shiv Kapur and SSP Chowrasia.
Of these, Randhawa has won the title thrice. Jeev, who has not won the national open despite being a multiple winner on the Asian and European Tour events, last played in the Indian Open in 2008 when he finished fourth.
The tournament was moved to December this time instead of the usual October due to the Commonwealth Games.
In all, the most high-profile event on the Indian golf calendar would feature 38 Indians, 30 professionals and eight amateurs.
One among these would be Anirban Lahiri, who has done well in PGTI events -- the most recent being the BILT Open last week.
"I have played at the DGC since I was 12. It's a course which rewards accuracy and a good short game. It's easy to lose your cool on a course like this. I finished third lat time and I am very excited about playing at the DGC," he said at a press conference to unveil the trophy.
The foreign stars who would tee off include Indian-origin Swedish player Daniel Chopra and 2008 champion Liang Wen-chong.
For the first time, all four days of the event will be telecast live.