After a successful first edition, the DP World India Championship will return to the Delhi Golf Club next month, and there’s a chance for the upcoming talent in the country to rub shoulders with some of the best in the contemporary game.

Career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy, reigning US PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai, defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, European Ryder Cup winning captain Luke Donald and Major champions like Bubba Watson, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Patrick Reed and Ryan Fox will descend on the Indian capital. Apart from the regular Indian contingent that is usually a part of such elite events, many other local players will also get to be in the field.

A total of 24 spots are up for grabs for more than 60 players who will tee off at the inaugural edition of the Kapil Dev Invitational Tour Championships at the Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort in Greater Noida from October 7-10, a week before the big event.

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Carrying the name of the cricket legend and former India captain arguably gives the tournament more visibility.

“It’s an attempt to give the upcoming Indian golfers a chance to be a part of such a big event. The sport is growing in India and it’s important that everyone gets an opportunity to test themselves in an elite field,” Kapil told on Tuesday.

The tournament, with a prize money of Rs two crore, is the last one organised by the PGTI in the run-up to the elite DP World Tour stop. Apart from Indians, it will also feature golfers from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Uganda, Czech Republic, Thailand and Japan. The most prominent local names include Shubhankar Sharma – a multiple-time winner on the European Tour – Rashid Khan, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Rahil Gangjee, S Chikkarangappa and Himmat Singh Rai.

The DP World India Championship has a prize money of USD 4 million. Anirban Lahiri, one of the most well-known Indian names in the world of golf, will be part of the tournament.

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Asiad expectations

The attention of Indian fans will also be on developments at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where the golf competition – for both men and women – begins on Wednesday. The country will be represented by Yuvraj Sandhu, Saptak Talwar and Veer Ahlawat in the men’s section, and Aditi Ashok, Diksha Dagar and Pranavi Urs in the women’s.

“My message to them is simple: believe in yourselves, play fearlessly and give it everything you have,” Kapil said in his message. “If it’s your day and time, you have the ability and opportunity to win a medal for the country, so you have to be ruthless.”