Top Golfers Set to Compete at Indian Open 2026 in Gurugram
Exciting Lineup for Indian Open 2026
The Indian Open 2026 is gearing up to be a thrilling event, scheduled from March 26 to 29, 2026, at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram, Haryana. This year, the tournament will feature five players ranked in the world's Top-100 and an additional eight competitors positioned between 101 and 150.
As per a recent announcement, the inclusion of 13 players from the top 150 globally makes this edition of the Indian Open a highly competitive fixture on the DP World Tour calendar. The event, co-sanctioned by the Indian Golf Union, boasts a record prize pool of USD 2.55 million.
Leading the impressive field will be Akshay Bhatia, a winner of a Signature event on the PGA Tour, alongside Major champion Francesco Molinari and other prominent Indian golfers.
The Top-100 players include Bhatia (ranked 22), Casey Jarvis (69), a two-time DPWT champion in 2026, Elvis Smylie (74), David Puig (85), and Thriston Lawrence (89), according to the release.
Bhatia, a three-time PGA Tour winner and Hero MotoCorp Brand Ambassador, recently triumphed at the prestigious Arnold Palmer Invitational, defeating top players like World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy. Francesco Molinari, the 2018 Open champion and a three-time member of the victorious European Ryder Cup team, will also be in attendance.
Among the eight players ranked between 101 and 150 is defending champion Eugenio Chacarra, currently at 143rd. Other notable names include Angel Ayora, Andy Sullivan, Nacho Elvira, Dan Bradbury, Calum Hill, Martin Couvra, and Julien Guerrier.
The local challenge will be led by Shubhankar Sharma, a two-time DP World Tour winner, and Yuvraj Sandhu, the 2025 PGTI Order of Merit champion, along with previous PGTI OOM winners like Manu Gandas, Om Prakash Chouhan, and Veer Ahlawat, who was the runner-up at the Hero Indian Open in 2024.
Additionally, the local contingent will feature multiple PGTI winners such as Shaurya Bhattacharya, Sri Lankan N Thangaraja, Honey Baisoya, Khalin Joshi, and Saptak Talwar. Rising stars Kartik Singh, 16, and Shubham Jaglan, 21, have also received sponsor invitations to participate in the tournament.
Recent performances highlight the excellent form of several players, with six of them—Jarvis, Bradbury, Freddy Schott, Elvira, and Puig—having secured victories in the ongoing 2026 season. Jarvis notably won both the Investec South African Open and the Magical Kenya Open in consecutive weeks.
Moreover, seven players claimed victories in 2025, while a dozen were successful in 2024, making this gathering one of the most accomplished fields in recent memory.
The tournament will also see seasoned DPWT winners like Rafa Cabrera Bello, Matteo Manassero, Joost Luiten, Jorge Campillo, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Ross Fisher, and Bernd Wiesberger among the competitors.
With the cut-off for retaining a full card through the Race to Dubai rankings now set at the Top 100, the competition for points and Tour cards is expected to be fierce. Players will be vying for both monetary rewards and crucial points during this exciting tournament.