When you see Viktor Hovland and Rory McIlroy basking in the early winter sunshine and adoring the Mughal architect, you know that the DP World Tour has arrived in India. And it has come with a style.

The DP World India Championship 2025 has officially teed off at the historic Delhi Golf Club, with a record-breaking $4 million on the prize fund. This whopping amount makes this event the richest among the other DPWT events ever held in India. Last time the European Tour set foot here for the Hero Indian Open, the prize purse was set at $2.24 million. Now there is a massive 78% leap from that previous high. Moreover, this event, the eighth of the Tour’s “Back 9” schedule, will also award 5,000 Race to Dubai points and 835 points to the winner.

At the business end of the leaderboard, the champion will pocket $680,000, or 17% of the total purse, which is the standard for the DPWT. Coming after him, the runner-up takes $440,000, and the third-place holder takes $250,400. Interestingly, the top 10 alone will share a hefty $1.42 million (35.6% of the total fund).

But of course, it is not just the cash that is up for grabs. The winner, along with the crystal trophy and cash, earns a two-plus season exemption on the DP World Tour. Along with this, there will be 25.5-25.7 OWGR points, depending on the field strength. And once you piece through the final Race to Dubai rankings, other lucrative perks will be waiting for you, such as PGA Tour cards for 2026, granting a dual membership, and access to participate in the United States.

Having said all that, here’s  the entire prize money breakdown for each player:

If so much is at stake, then surely the competition is going to be high. Who all are competing in the tournament? Let’s take a look.

Top contenders at Delhi Golf Club

The list of names teeing it off at the majestic Delhi Golf Club is gold by all standards, yet there are a few entities whose name on the mix makes the entire event worth catching up.

Starting, of course, it is Rory McIlroy, making his first-ever competitive appearance in India. Leading the rankings on the OWGR (2nd place) and first on the Race to Dubai, McIlroy’s year has been dominant through and through. He won the Players Championship, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and the Amgen Irish Open. And of course, the Northern Irishman wrote history with his career Grand Slam win at the Masters, becoming only the sixth player in history, and the first since Tiger Woods (in 2000), to do so. He comes fresh off the high of winning the Ryder Cup at a ruthless Bethpage Black, looking to make his schedule more international.

“I think India has a wonderful culture. I think the people are unbelievably welcoming and hospitable and gentle. … Golf has become quite a big sport in this country, but hopefully I can help it become even bigger,” he said on Wednesday.

Standing alongside him is another Ryder Cup hero (registereing a 1-0-2 record), Shane Lowry. His unforgettable putt propelled Europe to defend their title and made Lowry the headline everywhere. Although he had not registered an individual win this year, the course condition at the Delhi Golf Club is tailor made for him, which he himself realizes.

“I feel like this type of golf course suits me. I spend half the year moaning about golf courses that are too wide, so when I get to somewhere like here, I need to take advantage of that,” he said. Lowry’s recent notable performance was a T7 at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

And at last there is Tommy Fleetwood, having arguably the best season of his life (yet). Registering his first win at the PGA Tour after 11 long years of wait, Fleetwood was another name that contributed to Europe’s victory at the 2025 Ryder Cup. In fact, he delivered the best performance among all the 23 other players on the course, winning all his fourballs and foursomes (overall score 4-1-0). His iron play and scrambling are to look out for, and if they work well on Delhi’s tight setup it will be a lethal combination.

Apart from these three, there are names like Ben Griffin, Michael Kim, Luke Donald, Viktor Hovland and others too who can flip the script at any moment. Who are you supporting this weekend, let us know in the comment below.