Jan 31, 2017: Defending champion SSP Chawrasia and Anirban Lahiri will return to the 2017 Hero Indian Open for yet another shot at glory, with the arch rivals having beaten each other once in the past two years, to win the most coveted trophy in Indian golf.
The Hero Indian Open 2017 – co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours for the third consecutive year – will be held from 9 March to 12 March 2017, and is expected to see the largest line-up of all top Indian golfers, including Chawrasia, Lahiri, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa, Arjun Atwal, Rashid Khan, Shiv Kapur and Rahil Gangjee
Fresh home-grown talent like S Chikkarangappa, Shubhankar Sharma and Khalin Joshi, who have all come close to winning their maiden international pro title, will also make a strong bid to find their breakthrough on home soil.
While the final list of players will be confirmed closer to the tournament, some leading players from the European and Asian Tours are also set to play in the Hero Indian Open this year.
The prize purse has been enhanced to US$ 1.75 million, which is almost six times more than US$ 300,000, which it was when Hero took on the Title Sponsorship of the Indian Open in 2005.
Mr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Hero MotoCorp, said, “Indian golf is at a very exciting phase, as it has begun making a mark on all the golf Tours across the world. The Hero Indian Open is on the European Tour platform for the third consecutive year and the field has also steadily become stronger. Being an integral part of this journey, Brand Hero is now a major supporter of golf on all the three Tours – Asian Tour, European Tour and the US PGA. With the strongest-ever line up of Indian players, I am sure the fans have a lot to look forward to at the Hero Indian Open 2017.”
The 2017 Hero Indian Open will become the first men’s international event to be played at the Gary Player course at the DLF Golf & Country Club. The tournament has been played at the club only once before – back in 2009, when C Muniyappa won the title – but at the Arnold Palmer course.
Mr. Cho Min Thant, Asian Tour Chief Operating Officer, said: “On behalf of the Asian Tour, we are delighted to welcome the Hero Indian Open once again to our 2017 Schedule. The historic event has featured prominently on schedule for many years and it has propelled the careers of many of our players including our two latest champions. Anirban Lahiri, the winner in 2015 and SSP Chawrasia, the defending champion, have done Asian Tour proud and we see them going from strength to strength.”
Wg Cdr Satish Aparajit, President of the Indian Golf Union, said “The Hero Indian Open has been the pride of Indian Golf Union for over half a century. Its rich history is virtually the history of Indian golf and we have had very quality champions in the past. For us, it gives us great pleasure to see Indians win the Indian Open, as it shows that Indian golf is progressing in the right direction.”
Mr. Vaibhav Agarwal, Vice President, Nimbus Sport, said “The Hero Indian Open has been the most-eagerly awaited event in the Indian golf calendar. As one of the premier and oldest events in Asia, it boasts of a great legacy and tradition. And this year, we will have an Indian ace SSP Chawrasia returning to defend his title, while Anirban Lahiri, the champion in 2015, will be hoping to wrest that Trophy from his friend and colleague. We at Nimbus are proud to be associated with such a historic event that pits the best of India against the rest of the world.”
Mr Aakash Ohri, Senior Executive Director, DLF Home Developers Ltd said: “DLF is happy to be associated with the Hero Indian Open 2017 and host the event at the DLF Golf & Country Club’s Gary Player course. This is the first time the men’s tour will play an event on the new course and we look forward to welcoming the players to DLF. The course is gearing up to provide pristine conditions in the second week of March and we are sure that the players will enjoy the challenge on the course, and the new facilities that the club has to offer.”
Fellow Olympians Chawrasia and Lahiri have had a long-running battle at the Hero Indian Open, where they have either won or finished second in each of the last three editions. The duo, which represented India at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro last year, has been at the forefront of Indian golf in last two years.
In 2016, Chawrasia pipped fellow Indian Lahiri and Korean Wang Jeunghun to win the coveted trophy, a year after Lahiri had edged Chawrasia out in the play-off in 2015.
Interestingly, at the 50th anniversary of the tournament in 2013, both Lahiri and Chawrasia were pushed to Tied-second by Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh.
Hero MotoCorp Release
