Tiger Woods hopeful of coming to India

TIGER WOODS remains optimistic about the possibility of playing in a competitive golf event in India, something he has been unable to achieve during his decade-long partnership with Hero MotoCorp as their global partner.

Pawan Munjal, the chairman and CEO of Hero MotoCorp and a close associate of Woods, expressed his excitement about extending their partnership with the Hero World Challenge and Woods until 2030. The announcement comes ahead of the tournament, scheduled from 5 to 8 December, featuring 20 of the world’s top golfers.

Munjal also highlighted the participation of three players of Indian origin – Sahith Theegala, Akshay Bhatia, and Aaron Rai – in the prestigious field. "If you remember, we had Anirban (Lahiri) at one time here, which was a great thing to happen. To have three boys of Indian origin in a field of the best and top-20 is a huge, huge thing for India," Munjal said.

Theegala, ranked 12th in the world, Rai, ranked 21st, and Bhatia, ranked 31st, are part of the elite field, which comprises players inside the top 40 in global rankings.

Commenting on the extended partnership, Munjal stated, "It was easy. We've had, as I said, 10 years of an incredible journey together which has benefited both of us, the foundation, Hero's brand globally. There were no two thoughts about it."

Woods expressed his gratitude for the extended collaboration, saying, "This is exciting news for all of us at the foundation to be able to have Hero MotoCorp who have supported us here for the last 10 years and to have this relationship and our partnership continue until 2030 is truly amazing."

He added that the partnership has enabled them to support various youth programmes and charities and has inspired several players to start their own foundations.

The Hero and Tiger Woods Foundation partnership began in 2014 and will continue until at least 2030, marking one of the longest collaborations on the PGA Tour.

Although Woods will not compete this year due to fitness issues, he remains hopeful about returning to competitive golf. "The fire still burns to compete. The difference is the recovery of the body to do it is not what it used to be," he admitted.

The Hero World Challenge field will be led by world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who is also the defending champion.

(With inputs from PTI)