Mumbai: The DP World Professional Golf Tour of India (DP World PGTI) and Essar Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the Essar Group, have announced the launch of the Shri Shashi Ruia Memorial Golf Championship, a new annual tournament dedicated to the legacy of the late industrialist Shashi Ruia.
Under a five-year partnership between the two organisations, the championship will be held annually through 2031. The inaugural edition is scheduled for January 12–15, 2027, at the historic Willingdon Sports Club in Mumbai, with a total prize purse of ₹2 crore. A pro-am event will precede the tournament on January 10.
Shashi Ruia co-founded the Essar Group with Ravi Ruia and played a significant role in building it into a global investment group with interests spanning energy, infrastructure, metals and mining, technology and retail. His legacy reflects a commitment to entrepreneurship, institution-building, industrial development and philanthropy.
DP World PGTI president Kapil Dev described the championship as an important milestone for Indian professional golf. He said the partnership with Essar would establish a tournament honouring the vision of the group’s co-founders while providing an opportunity to bring top-level professional golf to Mumbai, India’s financial capital.
Dev added that the event could help broaden the sport’s audience, strengthen its presence in a major metropolitan centre and give Indian golfing talent greater visibility.
Essar Group CEO Prashant Ruia said golf held a special place in his father’s life. Recalling their time together on golf courses, he said the championship would be a meaningful way to commemorate his father’s passion for the sport and encourage more people to take an interest in it.
Amit Bajaj, Essar’s managing director and global head of corporate affairs and public policy, said the five-year partnership reflected the foundation’s commitment to the long-term development of professional golf in India. He said the tournament would offer established players and emerging talent a sustained platform to demonstrate their abilities.
DP World PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl said Essar’s commitment would provide a strong foundation for the championship’s growth. He noted that the ₹2 crore prize purse would support competitive opportunities for leading professionals as well as rising golfers, helping establish the event as a prominent fixture on the Indian professional golf calendar.
Founded in 1917, Willingdon Sports Club is among Mumbai’s established sporting institutions. Its 18-hole golf course, established in 1933, is located in the heart of South Mumbai. The organisers said the participating professional golfers would be announced closer to the tournament.
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