Asian stars line up for Indian Open

November 2, 2013. The Hero Indian Open, which is celebrating its 50th edition next week, has attracted a stellar line-up of Asian Tour stars which will comprise of over 30 Tour champions and five players from the current top-10 of the Order of Merit.

In one of the strongest ever fields to assemble at the Delhi Golf Club from November 7-10, multiple Asian Tour winner Arjun Atwal, who was the Asian number one in 2003, Korea’s Baek Seuk-hyun, local heroes Gaganjeet Bhullar, Shiv Kapur and Anirban Lahiri and Bangladeshi Siddikur will be amongst the leading stars challenging for the Golden anniversary title.

Bhullar, currently third on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, will be the highest ranked player in the elite field, followed by the fourth-ranked Lahiri, Baek, who is fifth, Siddikur who is eighth and ninth-ranked Kapur.

David Gleeson of Australia, the 2011 Hero Indian Open champion, flamboyant Filipino Angelo Que and South Africa’s Jbe Kruger will also feature in the US$1.25 million showpiece, which is one of the longest running tournaments on the Asian Tour Schedule.

Englishman Robert Rock, a two-time winner in Europe, and Michael Thompson, a winner on the PGA Tour, will be hoping to make it a memorable visit by winning the Hero Indian Open which will see players from no fewer than 15 different nationalities vying for honours.

[highlight] Bhullar, currently third on the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit, will be the highest ranked player in the elite field, followed by the fourth-ranked Lahiri, Baek, who is fifth, Siddikur who is eighth and ninth-ranked Kapur [/highlight]

Former Indian Open champions Mardan Mamat of Singapore, C. Muniyappa and Jyoti Randhawa of India are also in the field next week. Sweden’s Daniel Chopra, who has close affinity to India and a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, will also tee up at the Delhi Golf Club.

Que, known as one of the most carefree players on the Asian Tour, will be determined to continue his solid track record at the Hero Indian Open where he finished tied 10thand tied 21st in 2012 and 2011 respectively.

Siddikur, the first Bangladeshi to play and win on the Asian Tour and Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka are expected to shine with their immensely accurate games at the tree-lined Delhi Golf Club.