Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn will become the first-ever current Ryder Cup captain to make an appearance, when he tees off at the Hero Indian Open to be played at the DLF Golf and Country Club from March 8 to 11.
On the Indian side, the virtual Who’s who of country’s golf will be seen in action and that includes five winners on 2017 Asian and European Tours, Shiv Kapur (3 titles), Chawrasia, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Ajeetesh Sandhu and Shubhankar.
Interestingly Anirban Lahiri (2015) and Chawrasia (2016 and 2017) have accounted for the last three Hero Indian Open titles. Winner of 2013 edition Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rahman will also be in the fray.Anirban Lahiri is also coming off two Top-10s in CIMB Classic and CJ Bridges Cup besides T-14 at Mayakoba, Mexico.
Even as the international players hold the spotlight, there will be considerable interest in India’s latest star, Shubhankar Sharma, who also features in his maiden World Golf Championships in Mexico this week. Shubhankar won two titles in the first two months of 2018, at the Joburg Open and the Malaysian Championships.
Bjorn, winner of 21 titles worldwide, and runner-up three times at Majors, will be among the international starcast from over 30 countries at the event. The field includes six players from the World’s Top-100 who are all set to battle it out at the 2018 Hero Indian Open.
The field includes stars from 31 countries and has among them a plethora of Order of Merit winners, past champions, Ryder Cup captains and a Major champion.
Interestingly Bjorn will not be the only Ryder Cup captain in the field, as Darren Clarke, the 2011 Open champion, has also confirmed his presence.Clarke led the European Ryder Cup team in 2016, while Bjorn will be at helm for the 2018 Ryder Cup in France this year.
Meanwhile, as the Hero Indian Open, which is one of the oldest events in the continent, comes closer many of the top players have shown excellent form in the run up to the event.One of the biggest draws in the event, Emiliano Grillo of Argentina, a teammate India’s own Anirban Lahiri at the 2017 Presidents Cup, is coming fresh of a Top-10 finish last week on the PGA Tour.
Both Grillo, a past winner on the PGA Tour, and Lahiri are flying in straight from the PGA National in Florida where they played last week.
Grillo, who was in Top-20 of three of the four Majors in 2016, is looking very strong once again 2018. In the current wrap-around season he already has two Top-10s on the PGA Tour, besides another T-12 in Mexico.
The men in form on the European Tour, Joost Luiten, winner of the NBO Oman Open, as also Chris Wood, who was second at the Oman event and T-13 in Qatar Masters, alongside England’s ever-smiling and hugely popular, Andrew Johnston, T-12 in Oman, are all looking forward to the event. Luiten was also T-12 in Malaysia, where Shubhankar emerged champion.
“I have heard so much about India and Indian golf that I can’t wait to get there,” said Andrew Johnston, one of most popular players on the European Tour with a massive following.
Johnston, who has also had a stint on the US PGA Tour, added, “As for golf, SSP (Chawrasia) and Shubhankar (Sharma) are doing so well, so it will be great to play in India.”