The European Tour is set to shift to New Delhi, India and the DLF Golf & Country Club for this week’s Indian Open. While this event will definitely begin in the shadow of the Valspar Championship this week, there is an excellent opportunity to make some serious money betting on the tournament. Last year’s tournament proved to be a much more difficult test than anticipated for several of the top professionals that entered the event and this year should prove to be the same. While there won’t be many big names teeing it up in India this week, we have identified a handful of players that will be worth backing this week. Here is a look at the top contenders for this week’s Indian Open including the defending two-time champion Shiv Chawrasia. Odds are provided courtesy of BetDSI.
Event Details
Event: Indian Open
Date: March 8th-11th
Category: European
Location: DLF Golf & Country Club, New Delhi, India
Past Winners
2017: Shiv Chawrasia -10
2016: Shiv Chawrasia -15
2015: Anirban Lahiri -7
Shubankar Sharma +1200
Sharma is in excellent form heading in to this week’s Indian Open so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he is the co-favorite for this tournament along with Anirban Lahiri. The rising Indian star has won twice on the European Tour over the last three months. Fresh off a solid performance in last week’s WGC-Mexico Championship where he led through 54 holes and ended up finishing tied for ninth, Sharma should have an excellent shot to win this week at a course he is familiar with as the home favorite.
Anirban Lahiri +1200
Lahiri is another home pro to keep an eye on at this week’s Indian Open. The veteran golfer won this tournament back in 2015 and he knows what it will take to repeat here this week. Lahiri played well here a year ago when he finished fifth and it won’t be a surprise if he contends for the outright win in New Delhi again this week.
Emiliano Grillo +1600
Grillo is an interesting pick this week for a number of reasons. First of all, there is no doubt he has the talent to emerge in what is a relatively weak field for this week’s tournament. Second, no European golfer has ever won a European Tour event staged in India so Grillo would become the first if he emerges triumphant. While he is available at decent odds, it’s a case of buyer beware with this week’s European contingent.
Joost Luiten +1600
The Oman winner Luiten is expected to contend once again in this week’s Indian Open and should have a strong backing as a capable contender and a familiar name. The 32-year-old is coming off a decent showing at the WGC-Mexico Championship and has placed in the top-11 in each of his last two European Tour starts.
Chris Wood +1600
Wood is making his Indian debut this week but could be a sneaky good pick at decent value. The veteran Brit is coming off runner-up and 13th place finishes in his last start so he should feel confident heading in to this week’s tournament. The only concern with Wood is that he has never played at this course before.
Shiv Chawrasia +2000
One of the most intriguing names on the board is the two-time defending champion Chawrasia, who has an opportunity to make history with his third straight win at this event. There is no doubt that he has what it takes to contend again this week with the experience and skill set to pull off another victory. For as unlikely as it is that he would win this tournament three years in a row, he does have the required talent and experience as a proven champion in a relatively weak field. At +2000 odds, Chawrasia should be a popular betting pick again this week.
Pablo Larrazabal +2500
The veteran Spaniard is coming off a top-five finish in the Qatar Masters and also has a third-place finish at the Maybank Championship on his resume for this season. Consider Larrazabal another intriguing European option at a tournament that has never been own by a European before.
Paul Peterson +3300
Peterson looked terrible in this event a year ago but has the skill set to bounce back with a strong performance this week. The American has produced eight top-12 finishes over his last 11 starts. If he learns from last year’s experience, he could be a sneaky good betting pick this week.
Scott Jamieson +3300
Jamieson tied for third in this tournament a year ago so he undoubtedly has what it takes to contend for the win. Can he do it again this year? Jamieson is coming off a top-10 finish in South Africa last week so he could be another quality sleeper option for this week’s Indian Open.
Sebastien Gros +11000
If you are looking for a deep sleeper option to take a chance on this week then Gros might be the name for you to take. The young Frenchman has incredible power and he showcased his talented with a top-five finish in the Tshwane Open where he led the way in Greens In Regulation. At +11000 odds to win outright, Gros might be worth sprinkling a small amount of money on to win straight up this week.
