Elite field expected to line up for 2025 edition of Hero Indian Open

The 2025 edition of the $2.25 million Hero Indian Open is set to present a stellar field from March 27 at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon with defending champion, Japan’s Keita Nakajima and 2023 winner Marcl Siem of Germany headlining the expected field. Early entries for India’s national Open include several prominent stars and champions from the 2024 and 2025 DP World (European) Tour including Jacques Kruyswijk, Johannes Veerman, Julien Guerrier, Angel Hidalgo, Frederic Lacroix, David Ravetto, Ewen Ferguson and Guido Migliozzi among others.  

Nakajima was a dominant winner of the event last year, and the result catapulted the 24-year-old onto the global stage. Siem ended a 10-year title drought with his hugely popular win the previous year. 

The Hero Indian Open is part of the DP World Tour’s Asian Swing, which also features the Singapore Classic, the China Open and the Hainan Classic. 

At the tournament launch in New Delhi on March 6, Hero MotoCorp executive vice-president Sanjay Bhan said, "This is more than a tournament; it is a testament to Hero MotoCorp’s leadership in promoting Indian golf on the global stage. We are proud to extend our two-decade-long partnership with India’s national Open and continue building on our rich history of showcasing the world’s best golfers on Indian soil. Hero MotoCorp remains dedicated to enhancing its legacy of supporting and advancing sports in India and globally. Our vision is to inspire the next generation and create opportunities for youth across the world." 

The Indian challenge will be led by DP World Tour regular Shubhankar Sharma and include 2024 runner-up Veer Ahlawat who now holds playing rights in Europe based on his finishing on top of the domestic PGTI Order of Merit and his 2022 predecessor Manu Gandas. Both Ahlawat and Gandas are DLF Academy products. Teenage prodigy Kartik Singh, who in January cut at the $2 million International Series India presented by DLF, became the youngest Indian to do so in a full-fledged international professional tournament, will also be in focus.  

“The Hero Indian Open is one of Asia’s most prestigious golf tournaments and has played a crucial role in the development of Indian golf, having been instrumental in showcasing the country’s talent at a global level," IGU president Brijinder Singh said at the launch. “We are thankful to Hero MotoCorp and DP World Tour for their continuous support to the Hero Indian Open as it serves as an inspiration as well as a stepping stone for our golfers aiming to make it big on the world stage.”  

DP World Tour chief tournament and operations officer Ben Cowen, added, “We are very excited to return to India for the 58th edition of the historic Hero Indian Open. We are grateful for the continued partnership with Hero MotoCorp and Dr. Pawan Munjal which has seen India's national open go from strength to strength and we are anticipating another exciting week in Delhi." 

“DLF Golf & Country Club is world-class course that provides our players with a true test every year, so we are grateful to everyone at the venue for their continued support and hospitality. I would also like to thank the IGU, for their hard work in continuing to develop golf in India. This tournament has played such an important role in helping them to achieve that and we look forward to the 2025 edition later this month,” Cowen said.  

Spectator entry will be free across all four days of the Open.