Jimenez to headline Indian Open

New Delhi, January 21: Spanish veteran star Miguel Ángel Jiménez, one of the most charismatic golfers in the world, will headline a strong field comprising players from Asia and Europe as the Hero Indian Open gets underway here next month.

The 51st edition of India’s national open will be held from February 19 to 22, 2015 at the historic Delhi Golf Club and will for the first time be jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour. The Open will offer an enhanced prize purse of US$1.5 million.

The flamboyant Jiménez has won 21 times on The European Tour, as well as having represented Europe in the Ryder Cup on four occasions. The 51-year-old was also the playing captain of Team Europe at the inaugural EurAsia Cup in Malaysia last year which ended in a thrilling 10-10 tie with Team Asia.

Manav Jaini, Rashid Khan and Chiragh Kumar.

Manav Jaini, Rashid Khan and Chiragh Kumar.

Continuing its association with golf and the Hero Indian Open in particular for the 10th year in succession, Mr. Pawan Munjal, Vice Chairman, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd said, “Golf is fast emerging as a popular sport among the youth in India and we are glad to have played a catalyst role in this movement. Hero MotoCorp has been associated with golf for close to two decades now, thereby nurturing the game since its nascent stage.

“The Hero Indian Open being co-sanctioned by the European Tour from this year, is an acknowledgement of the rising stature of Indian golf in the world arena. I am sure this will go a long way in further popularising the game in India. I am also delighted to see a strong Indian line-up in this year’s edition which will compete against some of the best in the world. We look forward to seeing some top-class golf at the Hero Indian Open 2015.”

Even as entries continue to come in, some of the top stars, including Asian Tour star Sidikkur Rahman of Bangladesh, who won the event in 2013, are expected to feature in the coming edition.

S.S.P. Chowrasia and Anirban Lahiri, who were both tied second in 2013, and Rashid Khan and Chiragh Kumar, who were tied fourth, on that occasion, are also expected to tee up at the event. The field is also expected to include the likes of Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa, the only three-time Indian winner of the Hero Indian Open. Over the next few weeks, as the entries come in, more top names from the Asian and European Tours will be confirmed.

The Hero Indian Open has been synonymous with the rise of golf in India, and has been at the forefront of unearthing some of the best golfing talents that the country has seen, including the likes of Atwal, Singh, Randhawa, Shiv Kapur and Gaganjeet Bhullar.

It has also attracted an impressive array of international players in the past, with Ryder Cup stars Peter Hanson and Edoardo Molinari, Englishman James Morrison, two-time European Tour winner Richie Ramsay, Swedes Rikard Karlberg and Daniel Chopra, as well as victorious Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley all having played previously.

Asian Tour Chairman Kyi Hla Han said: “Our players are looking forward to the Hero Indian Open next month as it will be another opportunity for them to compete against the stars from The European Tour. I would also like to extend our fullest appreciation to Mr Munjal and Hero MotoCorp for their continued support of professional golf at the highest level in Asia.”

Ryder Cup Director Richard Hills, representing The European Tour, said: “It is with great pleasure that we return to India for the Hero Indian Open 2015, and we look forward to a strong field assembling at Delhi Golf Club next month. The European Tour has always enjoyed coming to this wonderful country and we look forward to returning as the tournament continues to grow the game in the country. We would therefore like to thank Pawan Munjal from Hero MotoCorp Ltd for his support of this event, and of the game of golf in India, as without him the sport would not be where it is today. It was also a great pleasure to welcome him to Gleneagles last September for The Ryder Cup, and we look forward to working with him and our tri-sanctioning partners the Indian Golf Union and the Asian Tour on this event. We are also looking forward to working with Nimbus Sport over the next three years, and appreciate their help in staging the event.”