Viraj Madappa and Chikkarangappa S.,will spearhead a sizeable home contingent’s campaign , in the strongest ever field, at the USD 750,000 The DGC Open, commencing at the Delhi Golf Club on Thursday,

Bangalore’s Chikkarangappa and Kolkata’s Madappa and 47 other home golfers believe that they have a good chance of making a mark this week. With a good number being given invitations from the domestic tour as well, the home challenge is a solid one.

Ten-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar had a solid finish last year, while the likes of Shiv Kapur, a winner at the DGC here in 2017, Rashid Khan, also a winner in DGC, and two-time Indian open winner S.S.P. Chawrasia, the in-form Veer Ahlawat and Honey Baisoya are an ever-present threat.

With the prize purse boosted by a solid 50 per cent from the half million dollars offered last year, the stakes are far higher and the field correspondingly stronger with 40 of the top 60 on the Tour’s Order of Merit represented in New Delhi this week.

More than a few Indians have come into the event with good recent form, with Chikkarangappa ., who brought in a top-10 finish last week at the International Series Thailand at Hua Hin. Chikka, as he is popularly known, will tee off on Thursday alongside city-mate Khalin Joshi and Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai, currently 24th on the Order of Merit.

“Every Indian player wants to do well at the DGC, it has so much history,” Chikka said on the eve of the event. “I’ve had a decent start to the year including a top-10 at Black Mountain last week so my game is in a good space. I’ve been spending time with my putter to try and keep the shoulders stable as most of our important putts are made from inside eight and 10 feet.”

“I don’t think I even need a yardage book here, I’ve played the DGC so often. So long as you’re putting the ball in the right place, it should be good. And that’s the only thing I think that’s important on this golf course – anyone who puts themselves in good positions and has a halfway decent putting game, has a good chance of contending.” said Madappa

He admitted that he had not reached the levels expected of him from the early years but said he needed time away from golf as the schedule and travel had all become a load recently. “I know I haven’t been playing to my potential over the last couple of seasons and I think that’s also a big reason why I wanted the break. I think it’s been mentally taxing also. So for me, I don’t really try and chase golf tournaments, I try and chase playing to my potential and playing good golf.”

For long-time DGC regular Shiv Kapur, playing at the DGC is like turning the clock back. “This is home in more ways than one for me.” he said as he interacted with 25 young players and gave them a comprehensive overview of the game.

Out of the 25 participants, five players were selected through a social media contest hosted by Mastercard exclusively for aspiring women golfers. “India has given the world some of its finest golfers. It gives me immense pleasure to continue my association with Mastercard and work closely with the next generation of golfers. During my interaction with the young players, I was pleasantly surprised to see how talented and committed they are towards the game. I am confident that Indian golf has a bright future,” he added .