The newly formed Pro Tour named Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL), has announced that the US$500,000 Bharath Classic, launched in Ahmedabad last November, will take place in Morocco this June as a joint sanctioned event with the Asian Tour.
This latest version of IGPL’s tie-up with the Asian Tour is being positioned as a pathway for Indian players—but its Morocco swing highlights a gap between benefiting international players who avoid expensive travel to India and benefiting Indian golfers who get the advantage of competing on home turf.
The run begins with the US$160,000 Am Green IGPL Morocco Rising Stars (May 28–31), a joint sanctioned event with the Asian Development Tour (ADT). Two players inside the top 10 from the Rising Stars event get into the following week’s Bharath Classic on the main Asian Tour.
The Asian Tour’s Morocco swing ends with the International Series Morocco (June 11–14), completing a trio of events : ADT to Asian Tour to International Series, with links to LIV Golf.
On paper, giving Indian pro golfers opportunity for the ADT and Asian Tour is a structured pathway Indian golf has missed in recent years, since PGTI broke ties with the Asian Tour in favour of the DP World European Tour.
But for IGPL that speaks consistently about “growing the game in India,” investing in two events in Morocco raises questions about the benefits to Indian golf. Access is limited for Indian pros, costs of travel for players is high, and visibility of the game for Indian audiences is minimal.
IGPL’s global integration is to be lauded. Yet without a stronger domestic base—more events, more access, more visibility—the new tour risks missing its own stated objectives: expanding the game at home.
Photo – Asian Tour
