Rory McIlroy has landed in India amid a flurry of excitement as he prepares to play in India for the first time. The world number two is set to be the star attraction at the DP World India Championship, which starts on Thursday.
The Northern Irish golf star has spoken about his desire to make golf a more global sport. In response, the DP World Tour has made this the richest prize fund ever for an Indian tournament. This week’s event will take place at the Lodhi Course at the Delhi Golf Club, marking the first time it has featured on the DP World Tour since the 2016 Hero Indian Open. The championship offers a total prize fund of £3m. The winner will bank just over £500,000, plus 835 Race to Dubai ranking points.
McIlroy, who boasts an estimated net worth of £250million, is delighted to be playing in India. Speaking about the event earlier this year, he said: “If everyone is talking about growing the game, especially if these investors are going to come into our game and they want a return on their capital, I think everyone needs to start thinking more globally around it.”
The victor will also receive the Lotus Trophy, a crystal trophy that incorporates two symbols of India – the Taj Mahal and the lotus flower – into its design. McIlroy said: “I haven’t hidden my sort of aspirations for national Opens and where I would like them to be, what their standing is in the professional game of golf.
“The European Tour and DP World created a new event there [India]. I was asked at the start of the year, would I be interested in going, and I said ‘Yeah, that sounds amazing.’
“The Hero Indian Open is always like March-April time. I’d love to play DLF [where the Indian Open is played] and figure out my way around that place, but this one in Delhi in October made more sense.”
Following an incredible 2025, which has seen him win the Masters to complete golf’s Grand Slam of majors and play a key role in Europe winning the Ryder Cup in the United States, McIlroy was welcomed with a garland upon his arrival.
He isn’t the only European Ryder Cup star in town, with Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Viktor Hovland and captain Luke Donald also playing in Delhi. US star Bryson DeChambeau made his debut in the country earlier this year, attracting large galleries at the International Series India.