Steve Palmer's free predictions and golf betting tips for the DP World India Championship

DP World India Championship date, start time & TV info 

Date Thursday, October 16 to Sunday, October 19
Course Delhi Golf Club
Start time 2.05am Thursday
TV Sky Sports Main Event and Golf from 7.30am Thursday

Rory McIlroy is the centre of attention in India this week and it remains to be seen whether the circus following his every move has a negative impact on performance. He is the first reigning Masters champion to tee up in India and the Delhi masses are thrilled to see him.

Delhi Golf Club does not play to McIlroy's strengths and he may not have enough motivation and discipline for a winning 72-hole effort at this short, tight, fiddly track. The same could be said of Tommy Fleetwood, who has not had much time off since the Ryder Cup, having competed in the Dunhill Links Championship.

Viktor Hovland was unable to play in the Ryder Cup singles because of a neck injury, so the Norwegian has arrived in India with fitness to prove. He has been loose off the tee lately, which is a recipe for disaster at Delhi GC, while American raider Ben Griffin has no overseas experience and looks overrated in the market.

Steve Palmer's DP World India Championship predictions

John Parry
3.5pts each-way 28-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Jayden Schaper
3pts each-way 33-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Darius van Driel
1.5pts each-way 90-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Jens Dantorp
1pt each-way 300-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Steve Palmer's DP World India Championship preview

Top tip

John Parry 28-1

Neat and tidy Yorkshireman John Parry is made for the Delhi GC assignment, typically able to churn out fairways and greens, putt efficiently, and keep big numbers off his scorecard.

Parry, often underrated in the DP World Tour betting, finished third in the Dunhill Links Championship the week before last, then 23rd in the Spanish Open despite opening with a 74. He enjoyed a hole-in-one in round three, earning a BMW.

Parry also carded an ace in the Open in July, finishing 16th at Royal Portrush, and the 38-year-old appears at the peak of his powers. He can complete a DP World Tour hat-trick on Sunday, having won his second title in the Mauritius Open at the end of last year.

Parry kickstarted his career revival by winning three times on the Challenge Tour last year – the first of which came in Delhi in the Delhi Challenge. And unlike many in this field, he has course experience, having finished 17th in the 2015 Indian Open at Delhi GC, despite teeing off as world number 569. He returns a decade later 95th in the world rankings.

Next best bet

Jayden Schaper 33-1

The textbook swing of Jayden Schaper typically results in supreme accuracy from tee to green, so expect the South African youngster to contend for a maiden DP World Tour title on Sunday if he putts well.

Schaper has looked a player of significant potential ever since bursting on to the Sunshine Tour, finishing sixth in the SA Open in 2020, then second in the Alfred Dunhill Championship later that year. He was fifth in the 2023 SA Open and has gone up a level this year, becoming a regular feature on DPWT leaderboards.

Fifth place in the Qatar Masters was followed by fourth in Kenya, fifth in Austria and third in the KLM Open. Schaper's last three tournaments have seen him close with a 65 for ninth place in the French Open, card three rounds of 70 for 50th place in a Dunhill Links assignment which did not suit, then fire four rounds in the 60s for a share of fifth place in the Spanish Open last week.

The improving 24-year-old went bogey-free on Sunday in Spain and looks in mint condition for his trip to India. He finished 13th on his Indian Open debut in 2023 and is even better suited to this week's layout.

Other selections

Darius van Driel 90-1
Jens Dantorp 300-1

Diminutive Dutchman Darius van Driel finds fairways for fun and is ideally suited to the demands of Delhi GC. He won on the Alps Tour in 2015, then twice on the Challenge Tour, before a DPWT breakthrough in the Kenya Open last year at a tight, tree-lined layout.

Van Driel finished second in another test of precision in the Soudal Open in May and encouraging recent form suggests he can be a factor in Delhi. A share of 24th in the high-class BMW PGA was followed by tenth spot in the French Open, then he opened with a sensational 63 in bad weather at Kingsbarns in the Dunhill Links, before dropping to 40th place. Four rounds of par or better meant 27th place in Spain last week.

Van Driel and Jens Dantorp look lively each-way options at a course which plays to their strengths. Dantorp was fourth in the Indian Open at the end of March, having finished 16th on his debut in that event in 2018. The precise Swede has never missed a cut in India and encouraging recent efforts – a share of 14th in France was followed by 30th in Spain last week – mean this three-time Challenge Tour champion deserves respect. He was the second most accurate driver in the Spanish Open final round on Sunday.

Don't miss Steve's Indian Championship first-round threeball tips, available exclusively to Racing Post+ subscribers at 2pm on Wednesday

Read more golf news and insight:

India Championship: Delhi Golf Club course guide, start time, odds and how to watch 

Steve Palmer's DP World India Championship first-round golf betting tips and predictions 

For those looking for even more extensive golf coverage don't miss Palmer's extra pointers every Wednesday in the Racing Post newspaper.

As well as his tips and insight you will also get expert spotlight comments for all players in our extensive PGA Tour and DP Tour price comparison grids which include course and recent form, plus Palmer's unique attribute icons to help identify the type of players likely to be suited to conditions each week.

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.