PREVIEW: 2023 DP World Tour – Hero Indian Open

2022/2023 DP World Tour
Hero Indian Open
The Gary Player Course, DLF Golf and Country Club, Gurgaon, India
23rd-26th February

I probably shouldn’t take too much of a victory lap for picking Thorbjorn Olesen to win in Thailand last week. The big-hitting Dane absolutely decimated Amata Spring Country Club with an awesome tee-to-green display.

He looks poised to challenge again as the Asian Swing moves from Thailand to India.

Hero Indian Open

The Hero Indian Open was the brainchild of Aussie golfing legend Peter Thompson. He actually won the inaugural staging of the event in 1964 (he would go on to win two further Indian Open titles).

It was co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour for the first time in 2015. Stephen Gallagher won his fourth DP World Tour title when he won the 2019 Indian Open.

That was the last time that the event was hosted due to the Covid pandemic.

The Gary Player Course at DLF Golf and Country Club

The Gary Player Course only opened in 2015 and first hosted this event in 2019. I think Eddie Pepperrell described this course best in 2017, saying the course was ‘designed by Satan’.

Only seven players bettered par when the event was first staged here in 2017. The yardage says 7,380 yards. But the notoriously short Shiv Chawrasia won the first renewal here (with the yardage advertised at over 7,600 yards).

I just think it’s better to take the yardage with a pinch of salt. This Bermuda layout is a tricky layout with danger lurking everywhere. Fiendishly designed water features pepper the course and narrow fairways require a degree of accuracy.

The large, undulating greens also require the players to have sharp scrambling and putting skills. Players will require patience and the ability to avoid the card-destroyers that lurk out there.

The Contenders

Thorbjorn Olsen leads the markets following his exploits in Thailand. But this pernickety layout may not play into the Dane’s strengths. Sure, he has the quality to emerge victorious in this field.

But it isn’t a course that necessarily rewards his type of ball-striking. Still, he putted well last week and was close to the top of most major statistical indexes.

Fellow Dane Nicolai Hojgaard was left frustrated last week after a poor final round took him out of title contention.

Robert Macintyre needs some momentum fast. The uber-talented Scot missed the cut in Singapore and was a disappointing 57th last week. With his brilliant touch around the greens, the Gary Player Course may actually suit him.

Elsewhere, perennial winners such as Joost Luiten and Pablo Larrazabal could be names to watch.

Past Winners

2020-2022: no event due to Covid
2019: Stephen Gallagher (-9)
2018: Matt Wallace (11) *playoff
2017: Shiv Chawrasia (-10)

To Win Outright:

Thorbjorn Olesen 10/1 | Nicolai Hojgaard 12/1 | Robert Macintyre 12/1 | Oliver Bekker 18/1 | Yannick Paul 20/1

Value Bets

Pablo Larrazabal- To Win 33/1 | To Place 7/1

You have to take a player like Larrazabal seriously (especially in a field such as this). The seven-time DP World Tour winner is a serial winner who tends to thrive on tougher examinations. He won twice last year (at the MyGolfLife Open and the ISPS Handa Championship). Sure, he hasn’t been in contention much since then. But he is just the sort of player who can come alive in a week such as this. He also has course credentials, finishing 4th here on debut in 2018.

Jeff Winther- To Win 40/1 | To Place 88/10

Jeff Winther battled with his game last year, missing the cut regularly and generally struggling to stay afloat. But a T29 finish at the Omega European Masters seemed to unlock some consistency for the Dane. He picked up top-10 finishes at the Open de France and Mallorca Golf Open. He also picked up further top 20 finishes at the Made in Himmerland and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. He seems to be finding more consistent results and I think this course should suit him.

The Man to Beat- Yannick Paul- To Win 20/1 | To Place 44/10

I really like the look of Yannick Paul this week. He secured his maiden DP World Tour title with victory at the Mallorca Golf Open in October. The German had endured a pretty slow start to 2023. But a 34th in Singapore improved to a runner-up finish in last week’s Thailand Classic. And his stats last week reveal that he could have what it take to persevere on this more severe test. He was fifth for GIR, 14th for scrambling and 12th for putting. The 28-year-old has a history with playing well in tougher conditions. He was second at the 2021 Challenge Tour Grand Final, finishing with a seven-under total.