Ruia Golf Championship to Debut in Mumbai in January 2027
Mumbai to Host ₹2 Crore Shashi Ruia Memorial Golf Championship in January 2027
Mumbai will host a new professional golf tournament in January 2027, with the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India (DP World PGTI) and Essar Foundation joining hands to establish the Shri Shashi Ruia Memorial Golf Championship. The four-day competition will take place at Willingdon Sports Club from January 12 to 15, with a prize purse of ₹2 crore.
Announced on October 23, 2026, the championship will be held annually under a five-year partnership running through 2031. A Pro-Am event, which brings professional golfers and amateur players together, is scheduled for January 10, two days before the main competition begins.
The tournament will honour the memory of Shashi Ruia, co-founder of Essar Group, who died on November 25, 2024, aged 81. The organisers expect leading Indian professionals and emerging golfers to take part. The names of participating players will be announced closer to the event.
The decision to bring a new professional tournament to Mumbai gives the city another opportunity to host high-level sporting competition. It also adds a fresh event to the Indian golf calendar, where prize money and regular tournament opportunities matter to professionals seeking to improve their rankings and earnings.
The ₹2 crore purse will place the championship among the notable domestic events on the DP World PGTI calendar. For comparison, the tour’s Indian Oil Servo Masters in Digboi, Assam, is scheduled to offer ₹1 crore in prize money in November 2026. The new Mumbai tournament will therefore carry twice that amount, although prize money alone does not determine a tournament’s standing or the strength of its field.
Willingdon Sports Club, the chosen venue, has a long sporting history. Founded in 1917, the club is located in South Mumbai and has an 18-hole golf course established in 1933. Its location gives the championship a setting within one of India’s main business centres, where corporate events and professional sport have long shared space.
The venue also has a place in Mumbai’s social and sporting history. Its establishment came during the British colonial period, when access to several clubs in Bombay was restricted along racial lines. Willingdon Sports Club was founded with the stated aim of allowing Indians and Europeans to take part in sporting and social activities at the same institution. More than a century later, its golf course will host the opening edition of the memorial championship.
For DP World PGTI, the agreement brings a new event backed by a multi-year commitment. A fixed annual tournament can help players plan their seasons and give sponsors and organisers a longer period to build public interest. The actual effect will depend on the quality of the field, the tournament’s organisation and its ability to attract spectators.
Kapil Dev, President of DP World PGTI, said: “The launch of the Shri Shashi Ruia Memorial Golf Championship marks an important milestone for Indian professional golf. DP World PGTI is proud to partner with Essar Group to establish a championship that recognises the vision and enduring contributions of its co-founders, Shri Ravi Ruia and the late Shri Shashi Ruia in business and industry. Bringing DP World PGTI to Mumbai, India’s financial capital, presents an exciting opportunity to showcase world-class professional golf to a wider audience, strengthen the sport’s presence in a key metropolitan centre, and create greater visibility for India’s golfing talent. We look forward to building this championship into a prestigious fixture on the Indian golfing calendar, while commemorating Shri Shashi Ruia’s legacy and contributing to the continued growth of professional golf in India.”
Shashi Ruia began his career in the family business in 1965 under the guidance of his father, Nand Kishore Ruia. He and his brother Ravi Ruia founded Essar Group in 1969, starting with an infrastructure project involving the construction of an outer breakwater at Chennai port. The group later expanded into energy, infrastructure, metals and mining, technology and retail.
Ruia also took part in industry bodies, including the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. His business career included a role in the growth of India’s industrial and infrastructure sectors. The memorial tournament will now associate his name with a sport he enjoyed personally.
His son, Prashant Ruia, Group Chief Executive of Essar Group, said: “Golf was a game my father truly loved. It was his happy time, where he connected with so many people over a round of golf. I remember accompanying him to golf courses and listening to his wonderful stories. It gives us immense pleasure to honour his memory through this championship, and we hope it carries forward his spirit and brings many more people to the game.”
Amit Bajaj, Managing Director and Global Head of Corporate Affairs and Public Policy at Essar, said: “Essar Foundation’s five-year partnership with DP World PGTI reflects our commitment to the long-term development of professional golf in India. Through the Shri Shashi Ruia Memorial Golf Championship, we aim to create a lasting platform for India’s leading professionals and emerging talent to showcase their abilities, while providing a competitive platform for golfers to excel.”
Essar Foundation, the group’s corporate social responsibility arm, is backing the event as part of its support for the sport. The arrangement gives the foundation a role in funding a recurring professional competition, while DP World PGTI will oversee the tournament within its tour calendar.
Amandeep Johl, Chief Executive of DP World PGTI, said: “Essar Group’s five-year commitment is a significant vote of confidence in the future of Indian professional golf. It provides a strong foundation for the Shri Shashi Ruia Memorial Golf Championship to grow in stature and ambition. With a substantial prize purse, the championship will raise the bar for competition and create a compelling platform for India’s leading professionals and emerging talent to showcase their abilities. By bringing top-tier professional golf to Mumbai, India’s financial capital, the championship will also connect the sport with one of the country’s most dynamic centres of business and enterprise. Our vision is to establish this championship as a marquee fixture on the DP World PGTI calendar, honouring Shri Shashi Ruia’s legacy while contributing meaningfully to the growth and reach of professional golf in India.”
The first edition will offer players an opportunity to compete for ₹2 crore at a venue with a history stretching back nearly 110 years. Whether the championship becomes a lasting draw for players and spectators will become clearer after its opening editions. For now, the five-year agreement gives organisers a defined period to establish the event and build its place in Indian professional golf.
