With no action on the PGA Tour this week, the India Championship has attracted a decent field as it takes its place on the DP World Tour for the second time at the Delhi Golf Club.
World number two Rory McIlroy will be teeing it up, but PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai is one to look out for on a tight tree-lined track which will provide little salvation for those wayward off the tee.
India Championship Tips Summary
Best Bet - Aaron Rai each-way @ 16/1
Alternative Bet - Eugenio Chacarra each-way @ 18/1
Alternative Bet - Tom Vaillant each-way @ 75/1
India Championship Prediction
Best Bet: Aaron Rai each-way @ 16/1
Rai has already exceeded his expectations for 2026, but that does not mean the two-gloved swinger from Wolverhampton will be resting on his laurels in Delhi this week.
It will be the first time the PGA Championship winner has featured at the Indian track, but as the player who stands seventh in the DP World Tour’s driving accuracy statistics, he should find the test to his liking.
That Major victory at Aronimink has undoubtedly lifted Rai’s profile, but his subsequent 11th spot at the US Open proved it was no fluke and he heads to the sub continent in decent form.
He was 16th in his most recent Stateside effort at the BMW Championship and was then one of four players who found JJ Spaun too good at the DP World Tour’s blue riband event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Rai can flourish this week and it should not just be seen as a chance to warm-up for his defence of his Abu Dhabi Championship title next month, as a strong and potentially tournament-winning performance looks in the offing.
Alternative Bet: Eugenio Chacarra each-way @ 18/1
Eugenio Chacarra is having a superb second half of 2026 and another DP World Tour success may not be far away.
The Spaniard would not have been blamed for taking things easy after he claimed the KLM Open and Italian Open in successive summer efforts, but the evidence is there that he has been desperately trying to kick on.
Having finished fourth at the European Masters at the beginning of last month, he has been third at the Open de France and second at last week’s Open de Espana in his last two efforts.
Grant Forrest pipped him to the post last week, but the hunger is still plainly there and Chacarra’s 26th-place finish at this venue was as good as the one McIlroy mustered, so he could get over the line this time.
Alternative Bet: Tom Vaillant each-way @ 75/1
Tom Vaillant missed the cut at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship but that was a far different challenge than the one he will experience this week and it is worth chancing that the Frenchman will be able to make an impact.
That performance in Scotland came just after he was third at the Open de France, which was his best showing in any DP World Tour tournament, and he regained his composure at last week’s Open de Espana, where his tie for 20th was a commendable effort and featured an encouraging third round of 66.
Vaillant’s 13th spot in last year’s event, which was the first time this tournament was introduced to the DPWT calendar, is another cause for optimism and there is great potential he can go well at a big price and get his hands on his first tournament trophy at this level.
Key Tournament Stats
This is the second year the India Championship will be played on the DP World Tour at Delhi Golf Club
Home favourite Anirban Lahiri has won at this venue on four occasions
This is a tight tree-lined track where accuracy should be rewarded
Tommy Fleetwood holds the 72-hole course record with 266 and jointly holds the 18-hole record with the 64 he shot at the venue last year
World number two Rory McIlroy leads the field this week
Four of the world’s top 20 - McIlroy, Fleetwood, Aaron Rai and Justin Rose - will be in action
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.
