INDIAN OPEN RELATED STORIES Indian Open Preview Round 1: Kumar climbs into lead Round 2: Chowrasia and Kumar lead Indian Open Round 3: Randhawa races into lead Round 4: Randhawa wins play-off battle Final Scores & Prize Money European trio to play in Hero Honda Indian Open Thaworn set for defence of Hero Honda Indian Open ASIAN GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Ben Leong claims maiden victory PGA: Jeev and Wi tie for ninth Prom targets Thai win in Brunei Shin Ji-yai takes Women's British Open Asian Tour starts 2nd half on a high Norman to play 2009 Johnnie Walker Mission Hills to host AP Summit GOLF TODAY TOP STORIES Paul Azinger names US wildcards Faldo chooses Casey and Poulter Havret gains wire to wire Gleneagles win Sluman clinches First Tee Open with closing 67 Fallout continues over LPGA "English" rule Poulter chooses high risk Ryder Cup strategy

 Event Preview

The Indian stars will be back in full force as they look to end the four-year home drought at the Hero Honda Indian Open starting from October 19-22.

The last local talent to lift the title was Vijay Kumar back in 2002 but with the likes of Jyoti Randhawa, the 2002 Asian Tour number one, in-form Rahil Gangjee, Shiv Kapur, Rookie of the Year last season, and Gaurav Ghei, the recent Mercuries Taiwan Masters winner in the fray, this year’s edition is set to go down the wire.

The Championship will once again be played at the prestigious Delhi Golf Club with an increase in prize fund to US$400,000.

On top on the list to steal the show in New Delhi include Englishman Simon Dyson who will lead the European charge. He will be flanked by European Tour winners Andrew Coltart from Scotland and Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland who will be gunning for their maiden success in India.

Dyson is in stunning form this year winning the co-sanctioned Enjoy Jakarta HSBC Indonesia Open in March and was flying high with another triumph at the KLM Dutch Open in August.

Defending champion Thaworn Wiratchant, the Asian Tour Order of Merit winner last year, will mark his return after a stunning success in the 42nd edition in 2005 when he forced Ghei to settle for the runner-up place.

With three out of the five Asian Tour titles won on home soil, New Delhi-born Randhawa is looking strong to notch his fourth win in India this year. Randhawa, who won back-to-back Hero Honda Masters title in 1998 and 1999, has been keeping a steady momentum in Europe, retaining his card for 2007 but with the attention shifting to India next week, the 34-year-old will be determined to emulate his winning performance at the 2000 Indian Open.

With three top-three finishes in the past six events on Tour, Gangjee will be riding on his strong form in the hope of capturing an elusive first title this season. Gangjee, 28, with one Asian Tour title under his belt, is enjoying a superb second half to the season when he finished third at the Brunei Open in August and Kolon-Hana Bank Korea Open last month and emerged runner-up at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters two weeks ago.

But a player bent on redemption at the Hero Honda Indian Open is S.S.P Chowrasia. After a disastrous outing at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, where he was disqualified while leading in the second round for not signing his scorecard, the rookie is fired up for success.

Thailand's Prom Meesawat will enter the week as the highest ranked player from the UBS Order of Merit and a strong showing in India will see him reduce the gap on leader Jeev Milkha Singh of India.

The Hero Honda Indian Open is the 25th leg of the Asian Tour.

October 14, 2006