<p>New Delhi: From whispers to raised eye brows to finally a reality: “Rory has come to India!"</p>.<p>The five-time Major champion and world No. 2 golfer Rory McIlroy is by miles the biggest draw of the inaugural DP World Tour India Championship that is all set to get underway at the decked up Delhi Golf Club here from Thursday. </p>.Golf Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy set to star in DP World India Championship.<p>What adds to the glitter is the presence of other top names joining the reigning Masters champion at the biggest-ever international golf event hosted in the country. From the 2025 PGA Tour FedEx Cup winner Tommy Fleetwood to the 2019 The Open Championship winner Shane Lowry, and former world No. 1 and two-time Ryder Cup-winning captain Luke Donald to 2023 PGA Tour FedEx Cup winner Viktor Hovland, the star-studded field has already created an unprecedented buzz among the Indian golfing community. </p>.<p>Expect fans to swarm the iconic DGC to get a ringside view of these players, who were also part of the European team which scored a dramatic Ryder Cup triumph against USA a fortnight ago. For the rest among the 138 competitors, teeing up to tackle the 6912-yard par 72 set-up, the hope is to grab some attention through their game. Of that lot, USA duo - Ben Griffin, with two PGA Tour titles this year, and Brian Harman, the Open Championship 2023 winner - look driven enough to spoil another European party on Indian soil. </p>.<p>Clearly, all the attention might seem inclined towards the international stars. But not placing a bet on some of the 26 Indian golfers in the fray this week could be naive. Equipped with superior knowledge of the tricky 18-hole terrain, home advantage is truly a boon at the DGC. Leading the charge for the hosts will be Anirban Lahiri, former PGA Tour player who now competes on LIV Golf, and Shubhankar Sharma, a regular at the DP World Tour (previously European Tour) along with PGTI Order of Merit leader this season Yuvraj Sandhu. </p>.<p>While the players, international or Indian, appear to be soaking in the golfing atmosphere here, the hero and the anti-hero of any event hosted at the DGC is DGC itself. Shubhankar explained the ‘narrow’ 90-year-old course, which makes or breaks a golfer, the best. </p>.<p>“See, at the end of the day, the fairway size is actually the same. It's the bushes that make it look smaller. If you visualise without the rough, most of the players will be hitting fairways all the time. It's the intimidation factor that plays a part after looking at the bushes and it towering over you,” said the 29-year-old. </p>.<p>McIlroy, Fleetwood, Lowry, Hovland and most others, who have been up and about on the course since Tuesday, have decided to mostly allow the drivers to go into a snooze mode. </p>.<p>As the pre-tournament commotion settles in, an exciting competition between the complexities of a course and the abilities of an individual is all set to get cracking. Now, whose name will echo across the hallowed course on Sunday afternoon?</p>
<p>New Delhi: From whispers to raised eye brows to finally a reality: “Rory has come to India!"</p>.<p>The five-time Major champion and world No. 2 golfer Rory McIlroy is by miles the biggest draw of the inaugural DP World Tour India Championship that is all set to get underway at the decked up Delhi Golf Club here from Thursday. </p>.Golf Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy set to star in DP World India Championship.<p>What adds to the glitter is the presence of other top names joining the reigning Masters champion at the biggest-ever international golf event hosted in the country. From the 2025 PGA Tour FedEx Cup winner Tommy Fleetwood to the 2019 The Open Championship winner Shane Lowry, and former world No. 1 and two-time Ryder Cup-winning captain Luke Donald to 2023 PGA Tour FedEx Cup winner Viktor Hovland, the star-studded field has already created an unprecedented buzz among the Indian golfing community. </p>.<p>Expect fans to swarm the iconic DGC to get a ringside view of these players, who were also part of the European team which scored a dramatic Ryder Cup triumph against USA a fortnight ago. For the rest among the 138 competitors, teeing up to tackle the 6912-yard par 72 set-up, the hope is to grab some attention through their game. Of that lot, USA duo - Ben Griffin, with two PGA Tour titles this year, and Brian Harman, the Open Championship 2023 winner - look driven enough to spoil another European party on Indian soil. </p>.<p>Clearly, all the attention might seem inclined towards the international stars. But not placing a bet on some of the 26 Indian golfers in the fray this week could be naive. Equipped with superior knowledge of the tricky 18-hole terrain, home advantage is truly a boon at the DGC. Leading the charge for the hosts will be Anirban Lahiri, former PGA Tour player who now competes on LIV Golf, and Shubhankar Sharma, a regular at the DP World Tour (previously European Tour) along with PGTI Order of Merit leader this season Yuvraj Sandhu. </p>.<p>While the players, international or Indian, appear to be soaking in the golfing atmosphere here, the hero and the anti-hero of any event hosted at the DGC is DGC itself. Shubhankar explained the ‘narrow’ 90-year-old course, which makes or breaks a golfer, the best. </p>.<p>“See, at the end of the day, the fairway size is actually the same. It's the bushes that make it look smaller. If you visualise without the rough, most of the players will be hitting fairways all the time. It's the intimidation factor that plays a part after looking at the bushes and it towering over you,” said the 29-year-old. </p>.<p>McIlroy, Fleetwood, Lowry, Hovland and most others, who have been up and about on the course since Tuesday, have decided to mostly allow the drivers to go into a snooze mode. </p>.<p>As the pre-tournament commotion settles in, an exciting competition between the complexities of a course and the abilities of an individual is all set to get cracking. Now, whose name will echo across the hallowed course on Sunday afternoon?</p>