‘Elated for Indian golf, will do wonders for brand India’
Delhi Golf Club president Raj Kholsa on what he expects from this week’s McIlroy-headlined DP World India Championship
New Delhi: The iconic Delhi Golf Club (DGC) will host the inaugural edition of the DP World India Championship this week with world No.2 and five-time Major winner Rory McIlroy and fellow Ryder Cup-winning star Tommy Fleetwood headlining the tournament this week.
As international competition returns to DGC after three years with the richest professional golf event in India, HT spoke to DGC president Raj Khosla on the club’s preparations and course conditions.
Excerpts:
How significant is the DP World India Championship for Indian golf?
It’s truly a landmark event for Indian golf, and it took us a lot of lobbying, single-minded purpose, and backchannel efforts to get an event of this magnitude to our country. As a club, we are elated, but not so much for ourselves. We are actually elated for Indian golf and the country as a whole because it gives us a chance to showcase not only golf, but also our country. For stars like Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry, it’s their first trip to India. So, our objective is to send them back thinking when they can come back again really soon. The event will be broadcast across Europe, and it will potentially do wonders for branding the country. Events like these actually add to our international credibility and tell the world that we have the capability to host large-scale prestigious events in a successful manner.
The last time DGC hosted an international event was two years ago – the Asian Tour co-sanctioned DGC Open. What is it like to get back on the international calendar?
It’s a feather in our cap. It’s a matter of pride when you say that a tournament as big as this has selected our club, and our course. It shows we have the expertise and wherewithal to bring our course up to speed, up to international specifications. Our green staff has learned a lot. There’s a transfer of technology that has taken place at no cost. The club has gained a lot to bring the course to the pristine condition it is in right now. Knowledge regarding how to fertilise seeds, when to overseed, how much to overseed, how much water should we take, how should we channel the wind direction if we can, how should we expose some areas a little bit more to the sun...we have had a lot to learn on those aspects of course preparation. Our captain Vikram Seth has worked tirelessly for this. The course is in super shape, looks very pretty and very playable. The greens are playing well.
What kind of course can we expect?
We’ve had to increase the green speed. We have brought the greens up to the specs that the international stars play. The course’s charm is not only in its beauty, but the greens are playing well. To play golf in the midst of 500-year-old monuments will be a special experience for the pros. The prolonged monsoon was a very big challenge. We had a really tough time. But we’ve got there in the end.
What kind of crowds are you expecting?
There’s a lot of buzz already. The kind of marquee players that are coming draw a lot of interest. We are likely to have a huge rush because of the prime location of the course. We’ve got our protocols for crowd management. And we are keeping our fingers crossed and hope that it works. Traffic control is an issue because the entry into the club is from Zakir Hussain Marg, which is quite busy. We’ve tried to cover it the best we can.
Is this event going to be an annual affair?
It will surely return next year, and possibly after that as well, but next year, yes. It has also been a while since we have had an Indian winner in India. While international stars are tipped to do well, it will be great if an Indian runs them close.
