Kiradech Aphibarnrat, seen as one of the rising stars of Asian golf, has confirmed his participation in the Hero Indian Open.
The 27 year old Thai has six professional titles, including three on the European Tour, and is a former Asian number one. He is no stranger to India, winning his first Asian Tour title at the SAIL Open in 2011.
Kiradech spent 2016 playing across the European Tour, Asian Tour and PGA Tour, and has had a great start to the new season with top ten finishes in the Middle East at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
In 2013 Kiradech defeated a host of stars including Major Championship winners Charl Schwartzel and Padraig Harrington to win his first title on the European Tour at the Maybank Malaysian Open. The former World Junior Champion ended the 2013 season as the Asian Tour Order of Merit Champion.
Another rising Thai to be seen in Hero Indian Open will be the 17 year old prodigy Phachara Khongwatmai, who was runner-up to Brett Rumford at the ISPS Handa World Super Six in Perth last week.
The 2017 Hero Indian Open is co sanctioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour and will be held at the Gary Player course at the DLF Golf & Country Club from March 9 to 12. The tournament has been played at the club only once before - back in 2009, when C Muniyappa won the title - but at the Arnold Palmer course.
The prize purse has been enhanced to US$ 1.75 million, which is almost six times more than US$ 300,000, when Hero took on the Title Sponsorship of the Indian Open in 2005.
