Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and DP World PGTI President Kapil Dev inaugurated the tournament, which brings 132 professionals to Fairway Golf & Lake Resort.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and DP World PGTI President Kapil Dev jointly inaugurated the Nava Raipur Open 2026 at Fairway Golf & Lake Resort on Tuesday.
The four-day championship, carrying a prize purse of INR 1 crore, features 132 professionals, including 18 international players, and will run from September 15 to 18.
Sai and Kapil Dev marked the tournament’s opening with a ceremonial tee-off and unveiled the trophy in the presence of DP World PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl. They also interacted with players before addressing the media.
The tournament marks the Tour’s second visit to Nava Raipur this season following the inaugural SECL Chhattisgarh Open. Its return reflects the city’s growing ambition to establish itself as a regular stop on India’s professional golf calendar.
“Nava Raipur has been planned as a city of opportunity, and sport must be part of that opportunity,” Sai said. “A national tournament of this scale will promote golf tourism and encourage more young people from Chhattisgarh to view golf as a sport they can learn, pursue and excel in.”
The field includes leading Indian professionals Veer Ahlawat, Manu Gandas, Akshay Sharma, Honey Baisoya, Khalin Joshi, Rashid Khan and Om Prakash Chouhan. Ahlawat is also set to represent India at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya alongside Yuvraj Sandhu and Saptak Talwar.
The international contingent is led by Sri Lanka’s N Thangaraja and Mithun Perera, Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek, Thailand’s Tanapat Pichaikool, Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain and Nepal’s Subash Tamang.
Set beside the 450-acre Jhanjh Lake and surrounded by nearly 500 acres of forest, the par-69 course measures approximately 6,000 yards. Its water hazards, bunkering and risk-reward holes are expected to place a premium on accuracy and strategic play.
Photo – PGTI/Honourable Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Shri Vishnu Deo Sai (2nd from left), Mr. Kapil Dev, President, DP World PGTI (2nd from right), Mr. Amandeep Johl, CEO, DP World PGTI (extreme left) and leading Indian professional golfer Mr. Viraj Madappa (extreme right) unveil the trophy of the Nava Raipur Open
