The Asian Swing continues this week as the DP World Tour heads to the beautiful yet brutal DLF Golf & Country Club for the Hero Indian Open. Here are your five things to know.
Nakajima defends
Keita Nakajima won his first DP World Tour title in emphatic style 12 months ago as a closing 73 handed him a four-shot wire-to-wire win.
The Japanese entered the final round with a four-shot advantage and that was extended to nine as he turned in 33 and threatened to blow the rest of the field away. He could not quite maintain that incredible pace on the back nine but his 17 under par total gave him a comfortable victory over home favourite Veer Ahlawat, Swede Sebastian Söderberg and American Johannes Veerman.
"It feels amazing," he said. "I feel like this is the first win of a new professional career. This is my first year playing on the DP World Tour and I'm very proud to have won on the DP World Tour and very honoured to be playing here. The win definitely gives me a lot of confidence in myself and I'm hoping now to take what I did this week and turn it into even more wins in the future."
Into the Swing
This week is the second of four counting events on the Asian Swing and Richard Mansell will be looking to extend his lead at the top after racking up 585 points with his maiden victory at the Porsche Singapore Classic.
Nakajima finished second last week and he will be eyeing more points on a happy hunting ground before the Swing takes a two-week break including the Masters Tournament.
All Race to Dubai points earned across the Porsche Singapore Classic, Hero Indian Open, Volvo China Open and Hainan Classic will also count towards the Asian Swing, with the player who finishes top earning a place in all events in Phase Two of the DP World Tour season, the Back 9, and a US$200,000 bonus.
The players who finish first to third only in the Swing will also earn a spot in the field for the season's second Major, the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club from May 15-18.
There is also a spot available at the Genesis Scottish Open - the second Rolex Series event of the season - for the highest-ranked player in the Rankings not already exempt.
There are 3,500 Race to Dubai points available at all four counting Asian Swing events, with no points earned at the Masters counting towards the Asian Swing Rankings.
Inside the field
This season sees the Hero Indian Open welcome the strongest field in its history, with a host of recent DP World Tour winners on display.
There are a dozen winners from 2024, including Nakajima and Germany’s Marcel Siem, who won this event in 2023, while there are five champions from the current campaign.
This season's Opening Swing champion John Parry is in action alongside countryman Mansell, with fellow 2025 winners Ryggs Johnston, Johannes Veerman and Calum Hill.
Shubhankar Sharma will lead the home charge alongside last year's runner-up Veer Ahlawat and DP World Tour winner from the 2018 Fiji International presented by Fiji Airways Gaganjeet Bhullar.
GolfSixes makes debut in India
India had its first taste of GolfSixes on Monday as the GolfSixes League saw six teams of children compete at DLF Golf and Country Club.
The event, aimed at creating excitement among young golfers and expanding the base of junior golfers across the country, was part of an initiative by The Indian Golf Union (IGU) in partnership with The R&A to promote junior golf and develop opportunities for the next generation of players.
Junior golfers aged 12 and below from across India competed in the innovative team-based shorter format of the game that had never been seen in the country before.
Six teams of six, each representing a different state, played six holes, with Punjab taking home the trophy.
DP World Tour followers will be familiar with the GolfSixes format, with events forming part of the International Schedule in 2017, 2018 and 2019, with GolfSixes also a key part of the European Tour group's Golf Futures programme.
A rich history
The Indian Open was first held in 1964 when it was won by the great five-time Open Champion Peter Thomson, who would go on to lift the trophy three times - a feat matched only by Jyoti Randhawa.
Thomson developed an affinity for India as he used to stop off in the country on his way from his native Australia to The Open each year and he played a role in getting the Indian Open on its feet.
The late Payne Stewart would also win it in 1981 before it joined the DP World Tour schedule in 2015.
Anirban Lahiri won that edition and has since been followed into the winner's circle by SSP Chawrasia back-to-back in 2016 and 2017, Matt Wallace, Stephen Gallacher, Siem and Nakajima.
