Golf is hard. That much, even a casual fan knows. But there’s hard, and then there’s DLF Golf & Country Club hard.
This year’s Hero Indian Open was yet another reminder that DLF doesn’t just test golfers—it breaks them. Fairways as tight as a razor’s edge, greens so unforgiving they’ve been described as “designed by Satan,” and hazards lurking at every turn make it one of the toughest courses to be competing at. Some of the world’s best players walked onto this course with confidence and limped off wondering what just hit them.
The Hero Indian Open, one of Asia’s most prestigious golf tournaments, returned this year with its strongest field yet. Hosted at the DLF Golf & Country Club in New Delhi, India, the event is a staple on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour).
Despite its rich history, the tournament has become infamous for its unforgiving course layout. Last year, Japan’s Keita Nakajima dominated the field, winning by an astonishing nine strokes with an aggregate score of 17-under par. But those who expected another birdie-fest this year were in for a rude awakening.
And this wasn’t the first time DLF made even top-tier golfers look ordinary. Just last month, the International Series event here – which featured a strong field including two-time Major winner Bryson DeChambeau– saw Ollie Schniederjans victorious with a score of 10-under par, meaning he needed seven more strokes than Nakajima to win the title. As India’s top-ranked golfer, ranked 264th in the world, Shubhankar Sharma put it: “The greens are quite hard this time and the rough is up, so it will be a good challenge for everyone once again. The same shots we were hitting last year were dropping and stopping, but now you have to be a lot more accurate. There are no easy holes here. No taking it easy.” So a course with such difficulty leads to a question opping up — Does one who conquers be given a chance at the Masters?
Hosts Andy Johnson and Brendon Porath definitely joked about it on Fried Egg Golf. Johnson playfully asked, “Do you think DLF deserves a Masters invite?” Porath, not missing a beat, responded, “The winner of the Hero Indian Open? Auto exemption? It seems like it. I mean, it’s a real test. Right? If you can pass that, why can’t you go—why doesn’t that translate to a deserving invitation? Last minute invitation.”
Even professional golfers, who spend their entire careers mastering the sport, are left shaking their heads. Pro golfer Meghan MacLaren described it best in an X post: “DLF golf club is the ultimate sign that professional golfers are completely sick in the head. It’s so difficult, it’s impossible to explain. Every single shot (and putt) has the smallest window to fit in of any golf course I’ve ever been to, and if you miss it… you’re literally on the edge of a razor blade the whole time. Yet I always want to go back, it’s got some perverse hold on me .”
They’re not wrong. If you can tame this beast of a course, doesn’t that say more about your skill than cruising to victory on a layout that practically hands out birdies? The DLF is so brutal that a new debate has emerged: should the winner of the Hero Indian Open automatically receive an invite to The Masters? If you can survive DLF, surely you’re worthy of Augusta National, right?
The case for a Masters invite
It might sound like a wild idea, but think about it. The Masters is all about inviting the best players in the world. While most invitations are based on rankings and past performances, there’s a history of Augusta extending special invites to those who have proven themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
And what could be more extraordinary than winning at DLF? This year’s tournament saw the course return to its most ruthless form—no rain to soften the fairways, rough that was back to being thick and punishing, and greens that refused to offer any favors. If you can survive that, doesn’t it prove you have the skills to take on Augusta? Sharma certainly thinks so. He emphasized that this year’s conditions separated the contenders from the pretenders: “Knowing the conditions may be a small advantage but the top players perform on matchdays. Tournament play is very different.”
Shubhankar Sharma further commented: “The same shots we were hitting last year were dropping and stopping, but now you have to be a lot more accurate. There are no easy holes here.”
That’s the key—accuracy. Precision. Nerves of steel. The exact qualities needed to compete at The Masters. If the Hero Indian Open champion were given a ticket to Augusta, it would send a message: toughness matters. It’s not just about how well you play on friendly courses—it’s about proving you can handle the most brutal conditions golf can throw at you.
Would the Masters Committee ever consider it? Probably not. Tradition runs deep at Augusta National, and they don’t hand out invites lightly. But after watching players struggle, grind, and battle their way through DLF this year, maybe they should.
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