Eugenio Chacarra is looking forward to his first defence of a DP World Tour title this week when he tees it up at DLF Golf & Country Club for the the 59th edition of the Hero Indian Open.
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The 26-year-old took advantage of a tournament invite last year to claim his maiden title, in what was just his ninth DP World Tour appearance, and become the first Spanish winner of the renowned event.
Related: PGA Tour winner Akshay Bhatia has a gameplan for Hero Indian Open
Chacarra reached four under par to finish two shots ahead of 2024 champion Keita Nakajima at DLF Golf & Country Club, one of the toughest layouts on the DP World Tour’s global schedule, and is relishing the prospect of retaining his crown in Delhi this week.
World Number 22 and Hero MotoCorp global ambassador Akshay Bhatia will tee it up in India for the first time in his career. The American won his first DP World Tour title at the 2023 Barracuda Championship – an event co-sanctioned with the PGA TOUR, and he will be hoping to double his tally this week.
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The 24-year-old, who is of Indian heritage and has extended family in Delhi, secured his third PGA TOUR title at the recent Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and currently occupies third place on the FedEx Cup standings.
Another player making his first appearance at the Hero Indian Open is Major Champion Francesco Molinari. The six-time DP World Tour winner became the first player from Italy to win a Major Championship when he triumphed at The 147th Open in 2018.
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Molinari has also represented Europe in three victorious Ryder Cup teams, in 2010, 2012 and 2018, and will be joined by older brother Edoardo in a star-studded field in Delhi. The Molinari brothers memorably teamed up in the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor as part of the victorious European team, a year after winning the World Cup of Golf together for Italy in 2009.
Two-time DP World Tour winner Shubhankar Sharma is the only Indian in the field to have won on the DP World Tour. He will be joined by countrymen Rayhan Thomas, another Hero MotoCorp Brand Ambassador who has been on the Korn Ferry Tour for the last two years, 2024 Hero Indian Open runner-up Veer Ahlawat and Yuvraj Sandhu, who topped the PGTI Order of Merit last season to earn his DP World Tour card.
The Hero Indian Open is co-sanctioned with the Professional Golf Tour of India, one of the DP World Tour’s Strategic Alliance partners, and is the second of four counting events on the Asian Swing, the third of five ‘Global Swings’ on the 2026 Race to Dubai.
Player Quotes
Eugenio Chacarra: It was great to win here last season. Obviously it was a life-changing week and since I got here, I feel like the good vibes came again. I love it here and I feel it’s a good test of golf. While I was talking with my caddie, it’s one of the few courses that you need to hit every shot that you have in the bag. So, you can’t really have any negatives in your game.
Hopefully it gets firm and we have a good test like it was last year. It’s turning that direction and if the rain stays away, I think on the weekend it’s going to get tough again. My game’s definitely not as good as it was last year, but I think I’m trending in the right direction. I had some issues with my clubs and I’m still trying to get used to it but I think I see some positive signs over the last couple of days and like I said, the good vibes and the good memories are here and I’m excited to start the week.
When I’m healthy and I’m playing good, I feel like I’m one of the best players in the world. In amateur golf I was one of the best, in college in America I was one of best, obviously having three wins as a professional in three years proves I can do it as well. Winning on the DP World Tour was a dream come true.
DLF is probably my favourite course of the year on the DP World Tour. When you’re out of position, you need to think where to hit it to have a chance to make an up and down. And when you’re on the fairway, you still need to be very precise to get a look for birdie.
Akshay Bhatia: I’m very excited to be here in India. This was supposed to happen in 2020 to come here and play, obviously COVID happened and the trip didn’t happen, but happy to be here for the first time. The golf course looks very difficult from what I’ve seen and I’m just really looking forward to being here and exploring some of Delhi.
To play here has always been something I have wanted to do. It’s a place that obviously means a lot to us as a family. Obviously being on the PGA TOUR now and to be of Indian heritage and to compete and have a lot of fans based here is really cool.
As a professional athlete on the PGA TOUR we play so much in the States, but anytime we do get to travel it’s amazing. I played the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in Dubai last year, which was amazing and I’ve been to a couple of really cool places as a kid, but haven’t gotten to explore too much since I’ve turned professional so it’s definitely cool to explore the world and especially at a young age it’s a blessing for sure.
I’ve watched a bunch of highlights, and it looks like a tough golf course. You have to be very strategic and I think it’s great. I’m excited to get on the golf course tomorrow with Dr. Munjal in the Pro-Am and hopefully he can give me a couple pointers about the golf course.
