DP World India Championship to return next season

Dubai, Nov 12 (PTI) The DP World India Golf Championships will be back next year with plans to become a regular fixture on the Tour calendar.

World No.2 Rory McIlroy, who competed in the tournament, said that he was bowled over by the country's warmth and a meeting with Sachin Tendulkar at a dazzling Diwali party.

McIlroy and another top star Tommy Fleetwood, the eventual winner, hogged the limelight during the event in Delhi last month.

McIlroy, in whose name the Tour has instituted a new award called the 'Rory McIlroy Award', to be given to the best-performing DP World Tour member across the four Major Championships – gushed about the DP World India Championship.

"I enjoyed it, I had a great time in India. I don't know if I have one lasting memory. I guess I'll remember not hitting the driver for four days. But the hospitality, the welcome, the generosity of the people there, it was absolutely amazing," he said.

Talking of the highlight of the week, he paused and said, "I would say the Diwali party on the Friday night and being able to spend some time with Sachin Tendulkar, that was a pretty big highlight." Yuvraj Narayan, Group Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer of DP World, was buoyed by the success of the event, which brought unprecedented crowds to the Delhi Golf Club. It was a USD four million event, which was the richest ever in India.

"New events such as the recent DP World India Championship show how we are supporting the game's growth and accessibility for the long term," he said.

The DP World Tour had 42 tournaments in 26 different countries this season. PTI Cor PM PM PM