NEW DELHI: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, seen as one of the most talented rising stars from Asia, and six time European Tour winner Brett Rumford, have confirmed their participation at the 2017 Hero Indian Open next month.
Rumford and Aphibarnrat are part of an Indian Open field that includes Ryder Cup player Rafa Cabrera Bello and a host of top Indian golfers, including defending champion SSP Chawrasia and two-time European Tour winner Anirban Lahiri.
Rumford has just celebrated a superb win at the inaugural ISPS Handa World Super 6 tournament, his first European Tour win since 2013 when he claimed the Ballantines and Volvo China Open titles in successive weeks.
On Sunday, Rumford beat 17-year-old Thai prodigy Phachara Khongwatmai in the final match of the ISPS Handa World Super 6 in his home town of Perth.
As for Aphibarnrat, the 27-year-old big-built Thai is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour and has won three times on the European Tour. He was also crowned the Asian Tour Order of Merit champion in 2013.
Aphibarnrat, who is now ranked 76th in the world – his best was 37th in December 2015 – is no stranger to India, having played a few times till 2013. In 2011, he won his first Asian Tour title at the SAIL Open in India.
Aphibarnrat, who spent 2016 playing three Tours – Asian, European and US Tours, has had a great start to the season with two top-10 finishes in the Middle-East, where he was tied fourth in Abu Dhabi and tied ninth in Qatar.
He leads a strong contingent from Thailand alongside compatriat Khongwatmai, who has twice finished runner-up – at Singapore and Perth – and is now ranked 149 in the world.
The Indian Open will be held at the Gary Player course at the DLF Golf & Country Club from March 9 to 12. The tournament has been played at the club only once before – back in 2009, when C Muniyappa won the title – but at the Arnold Palmer course.
This year’s Open has an enhanced prize purse of $1.75 million, which is almost six times the $300,000 that was on offer when Hero first took on the title sponsorship in 2005.
The Indian Open is India’s premier golf tournament and is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Asian Tour.
