The Road to Mallorca lands in Delhi for the Delhi Challenge, the first of back-to-back co-sanctioned events with the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). Classic Golf & Country Club is the host, and here’s everything you need to know before play gets under way on Thursday…
The Nicklaus touch
Classic Golf & Country Club, the host of the Delhi Challenge, was designed by the great Jack Nicklaus and is situated in the foothills of the picturesque Aravallis in the National Capital Region near Delhi. There are 27-holes on the estate which includes an 18-hole signature Championship course on which the players will tee it up this week.
The front nine of the Championship course rewards accuracy off the tee, with water hazards and short tricky par threes a key feature with the back nine set to benefit the longer hitters, but with narrow fairways there is plenty of risk-reward.
A return to India
The Challenge Tour returns to India for back-to-back events co-sanctioned with the PGTI for the second time in as many years. Last year marked the return of India to the Challenge Tour schedule for the first time since 2013, and it was local favourite Om Prakash Chouhan that made it one to remember with a stunning victory in the Duncan Taylor Black Bull Challenge at Karnataka Golf Association. The following week it was Frenchman Ugo Coussaud who triumphed, and he would go on to earn promotion to the DP World Tour eight months later.
Refreshed
After a two-week break following four weeks in South Africa, a strong field comes together in India. Two of the first four winners on the Road to Mallorca will be in action with a second win of the campaign for either one of Swedish duo Björn Åkesson or Mikael Lindberg set to go a long way to securing their promotion at the end of the season. Chouhan also returns to the tee looking to make it two wins on the Challenge Tour in as many years following his breakthrough victory 12 months ago.
