A strong field of 132 tee up at Delhi Golf Club this week for the India Championship - a DP World Tour event - where Tommy Fleetwood will be looking to retain the trophy he won 12 months ago.
Fleetwood closed with a round of 64 for fourth place in the Dunhill Links Championship last time out, so has arrived for his title defence in high spirits.
The betting community love to invest in the first-round leader market, which pays out three days earlier than the outright market, and Fleetwood is 20/1 for Thursday's 18-hole battle for the top of the leaderboard. He tied seventh after round one last year.
McIlroy is 18/1 favourite for first-round leader. A 69 meant he was tied 17th after round one of the inaugural India Championship. He eventually finished the week in 26th place.
The tournament starts at 1.55am UK and Ireland time on Thursday morning. A sunny, hot and calm first day is forecast. Birdies should be freely available throughout the round.
India Championship Tips Summary
Best Bet - Shane Lowry each-way @ 22/1
Alternative Bet - Yuvraj Sandhu each-way @ 125/1
Alternative Bet - Ajeetesh Sandhu each-way @ 200/1
India Championship Prediction
Best Bet: Shane Lowry each-way @ 22/1
A Thursday 64 meant Shane Lowry was looking down on the rest of the field after round one of last year's India Championship and the Irishman will be relishing his return to Delhi Golf Club.
Lowry finished third in last year's edition, despite arriving off a missed cut in the Spanish Open, and this time he tees up with confidence coursing through his veins.
A 23-under-par total meant a remarkable 11-shot victory in the Irish Open a month ago and the Ryder Cup star has got his swagger back.
Lowry had a strong weekend in Madrid to finish 13th in the Spanish Open and the former Open champion can be expected to build on that Club de Campo effort in India.
There seems every chance that history repeats itself and Lowry sets the early pace at Delhi GC.
Alternative Bet: Yuvraj Sandhu each-way @ 125/1
The surname Sandhu could be prominent on the India Championship leaderboard this week, with the two Sandhus in the field both looking like potentially dangerous title outsiders.
Yuvraj Sandhu won the Vishwa Samudra Open at DGC by eight shots in December. He is obviously facing a much stronger field this week than can be found in an Indian Tour event, but his comfort on the course is obvious and he can hit the ground running in round one.
Sandhu finished 13th in DP World Tour company in the French Open at the end of September, then he was fifth in an Indian Tour event last week. Expect a low round or two from the improving 29-year-old local man in Delhi.
Alternative Bet: Ajeetesh Sandhu each-way @ 200/1
Ajeetesh Sandhu won the Vishwa Samudra Open at Delhi Golf Club by five shots in 2024 and has always enjoyed the challenge of this unusual layout. He opened with a 64 to lead after round one of the 2017 Panasonic Open there.
Sandhu lost a play-off for the 2022 DGC Open at this venue and he will have high hopes of being a contender again given some encouraging recent form, including a runner-up effort in the Chennai Open a month ago.
The quality of this field means the India Championship is a big step up from standard Indian Tour gatherings.
However, with each-way terms of a quarter the first five places, there seems every chance of one of the Sandhus landing some healthy place money for their followers at such a happy hunting ground.
India Championship Stats
Delhi Golf Club is a 6,912-yard, par-72, with four par-fives
There are seven course winners in this field, but only Anirban Lahiri, a four-time champion, has won multiple titles at Delhi GC
The course record is 64, carded by seven players, including Tommy Fleetwood and Shane Lowry
Four of the world's top 20 are in this week's field
Thirty-one players finished10-under par or better in last year's India Championship
Two under par was required just to make the cut in last year's India Championship
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
