Course set up to challenge the champions in the Hero Indian Open

Top stars from around the world compete in the $2.25 million tournament, aiming to lift the trophy.

A battery of champions, more than a dozen of them from around the world, will be flexing their muscles to hit their best shots and sink putts, but the home fans will look for a familiar face to lift the trophy in the $2.25 million Hero Indian Open golf championship that tees off at the DLF Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

Veer Ahlawat had risen to the challenge last time and finished runner-up to Keita Nakajima of Japan. S.S.P. Chawrasia had won the title for the second time when the event was played at the same course for the first time in 2017.

There will be 30 Indians this time in a strong field of 138 and four of them will be amateurs, including Kartik Singh, who had a memorable time during the International Series event in January.

Excited

Veer and Shubhankar Sharma, who are busy in the big league of the DP World Tour, were excited to come home and play in front of friends and family. They exuded confidence to tune their all-round game in their attempt to deliver the best performance.

“Under par will be a top-10 finish this time,” announced the 28-year-old Shubhankar even as he reminded one that the cut was applied at 1-under last time.

A fabulous champion, Shubhankar turned professional when he was 16 and has made the cut every time in this event since 2015, with the tied seventh spot as his best finish.