New Delhi, India – On paper, Indian golf has rarely looked stronger. The 2025 season brought a parade of global superstars: Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood, Joaquin Niemann, Shane Lowry, and Viktor Hovland, to Indian fairways.
The year began with LIV Golf’s USD 2 million International Series in Gurugram and ended with the USD 4 million DP World India Championship at the iconic Delhi Golf Club, with the Hero Indian Open (USD 2.5 million) sandwiched in between.
Yet, amid the glamour and unprecedented prize money, one uncomfortable truth remains: no Indian golfer came close to winning any of these marquee events.
Star power grows, results stagnate
Hosting elite tournaments has undoubtedly boosted India’s visibility on the global golf map. But the lack of competitive Indian finishes has sparked an unavoidable reality check.
Indian professionals struggling at major international events are no longer an exception. The era of Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal, and Jyoti Randhawa feels distant. Despite promise and depth, the current generation is still waiting for its defining breakthrough.
The last victory by an Indian man on the DP World Tour came in 2018, while the most recent Indian win on the Asian Tour dates back to 2023.
Europe is proving a tough test
Since the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) entered a strategic tie-up with the DP World Tour in late 2022, players like Manu Gandas, Om Prakash Chouhan, and Veer Ahlawat earned opportunities to play full European seasons.
The exposure was invaluable, but the results have been mixed. Shubhankar Sharma, India’s most consistent presence on the tour for nearly a decade, endured a torrid 2025, missing 22 cuts in 29 events, a slump he largely attributed to equipment experimentation.
New faces, familiar challenges
The coming season will see Yuvraj Sandhu join Sharma in Europe after a dominant PGTI campaign, where he claimed seven titles to top the Order of Merit.
“I’m aware of the challenges the European Tour presents,” Sandhu said. “But I believe I’m capable of collecting a few wins there.”
Still, numbers paint a sobering picture elsewhere. On the Asian Tour in 2025, only four Indians held full cards, and the situation is unlikely to improve in 2026, with Shaurya Bhattacharya, Shubham Jaglan, Rashid Khan, and Ajeetesh Sandhu expected to carry the flag.
‘The situation is concerning.’
“The situation is concerning, for sure,” said Rahul Singh, senior vice-president and head of the International Series. “Not long ago, we had 15–16 Indians keeping their Asian Tour cards every year. We also hosted multiple Asian Tour events annually.”
The Asian Tour’s return to India via the Bharat Classic Gujarat in Ahmedabad, co-sanctioned by the newly launched Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), was a positive sign. However, with stars like Gaganjeet Bhullar and rising talent Kartik Singh opting for IGPL over PGTI events, the domestic tour’s pulling power has taken a hit.
PGTI has responded by announcing plans for its own league, aiming to unlock new sponsorship avenues.
More money, more events, but is it enough?
There is no denying that the domestic ecosystem is growing. PGTI staged 36 tournaments in 2025, including eight NextGen events for emerging players. Total prize money rose to ₹35 crore, up from ₹24 crore the previous year, with Yuvraj Sandhu, N. Thangaraja, and Shaurya Bhattacharya each earning over ₹1 crore.
“These are unprecedented number,s and they reflect the health of Indian golf,” said Amandeep Johl, PGTI’s CEO. “But I won’t be satisfied until our players start winning on the PGA and DP World Tours.”
The missing link: a stronger feeder system
India currently hosts only two events on Europe’s development circuit, the HotelPlanner Tour. PGTI hopes to add at least two more and secure 12 playing cards for Indian golfers.
“Our boys need quality competition and exposure,” Johl said. “We’re also working to attract players from Korea, Japan and South Africa to PGTI events, which will raise standards.”
For Sandhu, the issue ultimately comes down to finances and backing. “You need to support your players as much as possible,” he said. “We don’t yet have a strong corporate ecosystem around professional golf.”
A moment of truth for Indian golf
India’s golf calendar has never been richer. Prize money is up, global stars are visiting, and infrastructure is improving. Yet, until Indian players consistently contend and win on the world’s biggest tours, the progress will remain incomplete.
The stage is set. What’s missing now is the performance to match the promise.
