Array of Order of Merit winners line up for Hero Indian Open 2017
New Delhi, March 2, 2017: A strong line-up of Order of Merit winners from the Asian Tour and India’s domestic PGTI Order of Merit will be seen in action at the star-studded Hero Indian Open 2017, which begins from March 9 to 12, 2017 at the DLF Golf and Country Club.
Eight Asian Tour players, led by Scott Hend - the reigning Asian Tour No. 1, who between them have won the Asian Tour Order of Merit 10 times since 2002, will be present next week.
Since 2002, when Jyoti Randhawa became the first Indian to win the Order of Merit, four Indians have won the Asian Tour OoM five times, with Jeev Milkha Singh doing it twice, in 2006 and 2008. The others are Arjun Atwal (2003) and Anirban Lahiri (2015).
The field for the upcoming Hero Indian Open 2017 is also studded with four non-Indians, who between them have also won five Asian Tour OoM titles. They are Thaworn Wiratchant (2005 and 2012), who on both occasions also won the Hero Indian Open. The others are Liang Wen-Chong (2007), the Hero Indian Open winner in 2008, Kiradech Aphibarnarat (2013) and Scott Hend (2016).
Meanwhile, every single Indian who has topped the Indian PGTI Order of Merit since 2007 will feature in the Hero Indian Open 2017. Eight players won the PGTI Order of Merit 10 times since 2007.
Rashid Khan, twice winner on Asian Tour, won the Indian PGTI OoM in 2016 and 2013, while another two-time winner, Ashok Kumar (2007 and 2010) is also present in the field. The others are S Chikkarangappa (2015), Shankar Das (2014), Shamim Khan (2012), Chiragh Kumar (2011), Anirban Lahiri (2009) and Mukesh Kumar (2008).
Of the Indian PGTI Order of Merit list winners since 2007, four players have gone on to win on the Asian Tour also. They are Mukesh, Anirban, Chiragh and Rashid Khan.
All the top Indians and World No. 25 Rafa Cabrera-Bello will be seen in action at the Hero Indian Open, which is now in its third year on the European Tour.
The Hero Indian Open 2017 will be held at the Gary Player course at the DLF Golf & Country Club from March 9 to 12, 2017.
The prize purse has been enhanced to US$ 1.75 million, which is almost six times more than US$ 300,000, which it was when Hero took on the Title Sponsorship of the Indian Open in 2005.