Grand slam winner Rory McIlroy has been confirmed to take part in the DP World India Championship later this year, marking what will be his first ever professional appearance in the country.
The brand new event will take place between 16-19 October at the Delhi Golf Club in New Delhi and will have a purse of $4 million with the Northern Irishman stating he is “excited” to make his first professional appearance in India.
I’m excited to not only tee it up in India for the first time but also visit a country that I’ve always wanted to explore,” said McIlroy.
“I’m proud to play in the inaugural DP World India Championship. I’ve always enjoyed playing a global schedule and as I have previously said, there is tremendous potential to grow golf further in the country.
“This is a great opportunity, and I can’t wait to play in front of Indian golf fans.”
The DP World Tour’s Group Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer, Yuvraj Narayan, said: Our mission to support the growth of golf from the grassroots remains central to our global golf vision.
“Hosting a global icon like Rory in India is a proud milestone in that journey.”
Earlier this year, two-time major winner Bryson DeChambeau was in the field for his first ever start in India at an Asian Tour International Series event while the country has also been host of the Hero Indian Open, an event which has been on the DP World Tour calendar since 2015.
McIlroy has previously expressed a lot of support towards India stating that he believes the country should have the opportunity to host a high-profile event.
Speaking ahead of last year’s Dubai Desert Classic, the Northern Irishman said: “If this global tour somehow comes to fruition in the next few years, could you imagine bringing the best 70 or 80 golfers in the world to India for a tournament or, you know, that – I think would change the game and the perception of the game in a country like that.
“So again, there’s so much opportunity out there to go global with it, and I’ve said this for the last few months, but golf is at an inflection point, and if golf doesn’t do it now, I fear that it will never do it and we’ll sort of have this fractured landscape forever. As I said I hope it all works out.”
This news comes soon after he revealed he would be heading over to Australia later this year to participate in the Australian Open for the first time since 2014, committing to the event with a two-year deal.
“I’m proud to be committing to the Australian Open for the next two years,” he said, “especially with it being played on the world-class Melbourne Sandbelt – somewhere I’ve always wanted to play professionally.”