DP World India Championship: Lowry Steals the Show on Rory's India Debut; Gangjee Leads Indian Charge

Add as a preferred source on Google

New Delhi, Oct 16: On a day when the entire media and fan attention was on world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, his compatriot and Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry stole the limelight here at the iconic Delhi Golf Club on Thursday (October 16).

Lowry produced a brilliant 8-under 64, making light of a classic DGC test of narrow corridors, grainy greens and brutal rough where conservative off-the-tee play and sharp short-game work were rewarded.

The Irishman rattled off five straight birdies from 11 to 15 and finished with eight birdies in all to edge Keita Nakajima (65, -7) and sit atop the leaderboard at the close of play. South Africa's Casey Jarvis lurks third on 66 (-6) after a bogey-free round featuring six birdies.

"This type of golf course suits me," Lowry said after carding off a birdie on the 18th hole. "I spend half the year moaning about golf courses that are too wide, so when I get to somewhere like here, I need to take advantage of that, and I did that today and hopefully I can keep doing that for the rest of the week."

He praised the company and the vibe in his group - which included Luke Donald and Tommy Fleetwood - adding: "We all had a great time and we all played pretty good. I just rolled off a few more birdies than they did on the back nine."

Japan's Keita Nakajima, the 2024 Hero Indian Open champion at the DLF course, provided a fireworks display of his own earlier in the day. Nakajima birdied repeatedly early - sparking his charge with a hot start on the front nine - and finished with eight birdies for a fluent 65.

"Today was a pretty solid day. I made eight birdies on this golf course, and I'm happy with that," the 25-year-old said. "I played PGA TOUR in Japan last week, trying to get some energy for this week, and I like the Indian golf course... I play well in India, but I don't know what it is about this golf course, but when I come to India, my golf is getting better."

Rory McIlroy, making his India debut, played a deliberate, conservative round and signed for 69 (-3). The reigning Masters champion warned of DGC's bite and explained his cautious plan: "It's pretty tricky. You're just really trying to be as conservative as possible off the tee and then trying to pick off birdies on the par-5s and maybe pick up a couple more."

He confessed he kept the big stick largely in the locker: "Dog was out of the bag, probably asleep in the locker... I'm never going to hit driver, so I just thought I've got to 2-iron, 3-iron, 4-iron all the way through." The Northern Irishman also highlighted the quirks of the greens: "Uphill putts are very slow, but then if you get it above the hole, the downhill putts... get very, very quick, so leaving yourself below the hole is pretty important."

For the home crowd, veteran Rahil Gangjee was the standout Indian, finishing 67 (-5) and delivering an emotional charge late on. Gangjee, who admitted to a trying eight months on tour, credited small comforts for helping restore his game: "I haven't been playing that great in the last 8 months. But now, I think, something changed last week. Played at home in Bengaluru for last weekend. Something changed, felt a little happier. ... These small, small things are making a difference to me."

The 47-year-old - who has spent enormous amount of time at the DGC course - emphasised attitude and enjoyment as part of his turnaround: "We take this game too seriously... We become too serious. We don't laugh. We don't smile. We don't appreciate our great shots. So, I'm trying to just appreciate our great shots."

Asked about the 18th - where he finished strongly with an eagle - Gangjee unpacked the shot: "I had a good drive... second shot was very, very in between clubs. I was trying to figure out whether I want to hit a hard 4-iron or a soft hybrid. I decided to play the extra club. Wanted to hit it high. It wasn't high enough, but it kind of ran out 20 yards. But I was still putting, which is great." That composure helped him cap the day on a high for Indian supporters.

Other notable Indians included Dhruv Sheoran (-4), who finished tied seventh, and Yuvraj Sandhu, who shared 17th place and played alongside McIlroy. The overall theme of the opening day was clear: accuracy and short-game finesse trumped brute distance - a blueprint Lowry executed perfectly.

With the course already showing its teeth and leaders carved out through steady iron play and strong putting, the DP World India Championship now heads into round two as a test of whether the frontrunners can sustain their patience - and whether the home favourites can use local knowledge to mount a charge.

Play resumes tomorrow at Delhi Golf Club where the whisper of strategy may yet drown out the roar of length.