For Indian men’s professional golf, there is no platform bigger than the Hero Indian Open. It is our national open, it is our oldest tournament, and it is one that really showcases to the world where our golf currently stands.
So, it wasn’t surprising that fans were concerned when only three Indian professionals made the cut – the lowest ever since the tournament was sanctioned by the DP World Tour in 2015. The previous low was eight players moving to the weekend (2018, ’19 and ’24).
Messages have been flying in WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms. There have been various theories on why we have been so poor.
First things first, the 2026 Hero Indian Open result is not a fair reflection of the quality of Indian professional golf. Yes, there was a period when we were spoiled by the success of our players in international events at home and on the Asian Tour. It’s not the case anymore.
Let’s also not forget that players like Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal, Jyoti Randhawa and Gaurav Ghei were exceptional, followed by the next generation of Anirban Lahiri, Gaganjeet Bhullar, SSP Chowrasia and Shiv Kapur.
There have been a few scattered good results here and there, but it has been a drought in our trophy cabinet since Chowrasia’s stunning win at the 2017 Hero Indian Open, where he won against all odds on a beastly golf course.
Obviously, the COVID pandemic, which led to golf going dark for nearly two years in the country, did not help.
But now, in 2026, you’d think there should be no reason why we should not have more players contending at international tournaments.
Here’s my take on it…
The DLF golf course: The host venue of the tournament is the DLF Golf & Country Club, ranked every year as the toughest golf course in the DP World Tour schedule. It’s long, several holes are tricked up unnecessarily, and penalties for errant shots are extremely severe.
It’s a very, very tough test, but the fact remains that it does not discriminate against any player. As the saying goes in golf, the course will play the same for everyone.
But here is how it goes against the Indian players. DLF is a very difficult course – with a staggering course rating of 78 from the back tees. The DP World Tour players are used to playing long and tough courses, usually around 74-75 in rating. For them, it is a matter of upping their game by one notch.
Most Indian players are used to playing golf courses that have a course rating of 70-72 or even less. The ones used on the domestic PGTI events are usually short, with flat greens, and hardly any run-off areas. So, when they are playing on DLF, they have to elevate their game by several notches.
The field that we got: Lahiri wasn’t in India, which is understandable, as he had a three-week commitment to LIV Golf across continents before that. But there was no reason why we did not have players like Gaganjeet Bhullar, Karandeep Kochhar, Ajeetesh Sandhu, and Chowrasia in the field.
The reason Bhullar, who is the most successful Indian on the Asian Tour with 11 wins, and Kochhar were not at DLF, was that they are now members of the rival Indian Premier Golf League (IGPL) and were unable to match any eligibility criteria.
There are only a limited number of exemptions that a sponsor can grant. The fact that Hero gave it to young Kartik Singh, Korn Ferry Tour regular Rayhan Thomas, and the talented Shubham Jaglan, is extremely commendable. But not everyone can be included through that route.
Just as the major championships are trying to accommodate players from LIV Golf in their fields, the Indian Golf Union (IGU), which owns the tournament, will have to sit with the DP World Tour and either get more spots for Indian players, or have a category (like the top 5 Indian players in the OWGR who are otherwise not in the field) that makes leading IGPL players eligible for their national open.
The system that we have: I have been vocal about my criticism of the Indian Golf Union (IGU) in the past, and nothing has changed. We desperately need a high-performance programme that delivers young players who are ready for professional golf.
India’s National Cricket Academy is a great example to follow. Like what is done in Bengaluru, golf’s high-performance programme has to be run by paid professionals who are accountable for results. It needs to have a team of qualified national coaches, support staff that travels with amateur stars, and a dedicated facility, one that has various turfs to practice from, different types of greens and bunkers, and gyms and training areas.
Players like 16-year-old Kartik Singh and 18-year-old S Manoj are uber talented, and while the IGU has helped them in their journeys, we need processes in place that ensure a pipeline of promising youngsters coming out at the age of 20.
This is something that the IGU must facilitate. If the answer is that money for this cannot be raised, then the IGU is failing in its responsibility to Indian golf.
I have a lot of hope from some of the private efforts that are being put together by players and Indian coaches. I have had long chats with Lahiri on his Anirban Lahiri Foundation, and Shubhankar Sharma on his Roundglass Sport Golf Academy.
Is mindset a problem? A couple of messages I have received from fans suggested that Indian golfers have become soft because they are now earning comfortably on the PGTI and do not have the fire to perform in an event like the Indian Open.
This is utter nonsense.
Most professionals I have interacted with have too much pride in what they do. I was with several players during 72 The League last month, and nothing is lacking in the hard work they put in.
Having said that, I have always believed that attitude and mental toughness is what differentiate players like Atwal and Jeev from others. In my association of over 30 years with the two superstars, I haven’t seen a moment when they stopped believing that they would not be able to win. In the worst phase of their careers – during injuries, personal issues, or other situations – they have always carried the mentality of being a champion.
That’s what the others need to know, embrace and believe in.
