PGA Tour star Akshay Bhatia and former Open champion Francesco Molinari are set to compete at the 2026 Hero Indian Open in Gurugram, which boasts a record prize purse of USD 2.55 million.
Key Points
- The 2026 Hero Indian Open will be held in Gurugram with a record prize purse of USD 2.55 million.
- PGA Tour star Akshay Bhatia, winner of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, will headline the event.
- Former Open Champion Francesco Molinari is also confirmed to participate in the Hero Indian Open.
- The tournament is sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the Indian Golf Union (IGU).
- Several DP World Tour winners, including Casey Jarvis and Eugenio Chacarra, will compete in the Hero Indian Open.
The 2026 Hero Indian Open, to be held in Gurugram from March 26 to 29, will feature a world-class field led by PGA Tour star Akshay Bhatia and a record prize purse.
Sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Indian Golf Union (IGU), the tournament's prize purse has been increased to a record USD 2.55 million, up from USD USD 2.25 million on offer a year ago.
The star-studded field will include the 24-year-old Indian-American Bhatia, who has risen to new heights by winning the iconic Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026 at Bay Hill, Orlando, USA.
Now placed second on the FedEx Cup standings, Bhatia, who is Hero MotoCorp's Global Brand Ambassador, will make his first trip to India with this tour.
Another Hero MotoCorp Brand Ambassador, Rayhan Thomas, who has been on the Korn Ferry Tour for last two years, is also confirmed for the field.
Key Players to Watch
The field will also include Italy's Francesco Molinari, who is also a three-time PGA Tour winner. Molinari became the first player from Italy to win a Major Championship when he triumphed at the 147th Open Championship in 2018.
The six-time DP World Tour winner has also represented Europe in three victorious Ryder Cup teams in 2010, 2012 and 2018 â where he secured the winning point at Le Golf National in Paris.
The current list of confirmed players also includes the reigning champion Eugenio Chacarra of Spain, and Thomas Detry of Belgium, winner of the Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour in 2025.
Also, in the field are current season winners on DP World Tour - South African Casey Jarvis, who won two successive events on the DP World Tour recently, Spain's Nacho Elvira and Germany's Freddy Schott amongst others.
Former runner-up Veer Ahlawat, Yuvraj Sandhu, the 2025 India No. 1, Manu Gandas, along with Shaurya Bhattacharya, will be among the top Indian names in the field.
Statements from Organisers
Brijinder Singh, President, Indian Golf Union, said, "The Hero Indian Open remains the crown jewel in the calendar of the Indian Golf Union. This year's tournament promises to be bigger than ever as we welcome a stellar field of leading international players along with India's finest professionals."
"The association between Hero MotoCorp and the Indian Open has grown stronger with every passing year and today stands as a proud partnership spanning more than two decades," said Sanjay Bhan, Executive Vice President, Hero MotoCorp.
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