The form of the Ryder Cup continues to shine on the fairways of the Delhi Golf Club

Day two DP World India Championship leader Tommy Fleetwood of England in action at the Delhi Golf Club on Friday. Image courtesy of DPWIC.

By Rahul Banerji

Tommy Fleetwood took Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry’s place at the top of the DP World India Championship leaderboards with an immaculate round of his own at the Delhi Golf Club on Friday.

The 34-year-old Englishman fired a bogey-free 8-under-par 64 for a total of 12-under 132, one shot ahead of American leaders Lowry (69) and Brian Harman (65).

In doing so, Fleetwood erased a four-shot deficit to Lowry and, midway through this $4 million event, he showed the growing audience why his game is so highly regarded around the world.

Shubhankar Sharma returned a clean 6-under 66 and was the top-seeded Indian in the remaining field of 66 as the cut was declared at 2-under 142.

Anirban Lahiri (70-71) reached the weekend at 3-under 141, along with Shiv Kapur (72-69) and Dhruv Sheoran (68-73), while Abhinav Lohan (70-72) was right on the bubble at 142.

None of the 26 other Indians in the field qualified for the lucrative weekend rounds, with DP World Tour ticket holder Veer Ahlawat falling one stroke short at 143 along with the rest of his counterparts.

Early wins

Fleetwood, who scored a breakthrough victory on the PGA Tour at the Tour Championship in conjunction with the FedEx Cup in August, started on the back nine on Friday alongside Lowry and Luke Donald and had taken five shots by the turn.

Three more birdies on the back nine, including a closing win on the 9th hole, gave him the clubhouse lead at 12, below which he was never challenged.

Indian Open 2024 winner Keita Nakajima (69) of Japan came closest before finishing in fourth place at 10-under 134, while England’s Brandon Robinson Thompson and Dutchman Joost Luiten shared fifth place at 9-under 135.

“I played better yesterday, I think. Especially towards the end of the round yesterday,” Fleetwood said later. “This course gives you some guidance.

“It’s easy to talk about how many things you’ve done right when you’ve shot 8 under, but a really good round of golf. This course is such a unique challenge for all of us. I haven’t hit more than a 5-wood.

Test of patience

“It was a lot of fun. It’s a test of patience when you’re not fully into it yet… It’s such a waiting game. You have to be very patient. It was a great test.”

For 2023 Open winner Harman, who had just one drop shot against seven birdies, it was all about controlling the ball off the tee.

Brian Harman of the US is tied for second place at the Delhi Golf Club, one stroke behind the leader. Image courtesy of DPWIC.

“It’s actually quite a tough course to learn. I mean, there are some really tricky tee shots. It’s a little bit different to what we’re used to, but I enjoyed the course.

“I can hit it pretty well. I hit some irons pretty close there. I saved par when I had to. When I hit it into the trees, I didn’t make any big scores.”

Lowry followed his opening 64 on Friday with a fighting 69, balancing four birdies with one bogey. The burly Irishman, also an Open champion, accelerated late in the round and stayed on Fleetwood’s heels with three birdies on his second nine.

“Not much happened on the front nine, and then I made a stupid bogey on the par 5 from the middle of the fairway. Pretty frustrated around the turn.

“But I felt like I finished well, and I had some good golf along the way. The course is there for the taking if you hit good shots, but if you hit it offline it’s very difficult.

“I’m happy with my two days of work. I think you have to play this golf course the way you see it. There are a lot of mid-irons which are the strength of my game.”

Recovery disk

For Shubhankar Sharma, it was about recovering from an indifferent opening round of 2-over 74 with a bogey-free 66 on Friday. “Really happy today,” he said.

“Yesterday I got off to a good start, but I made a few bad mistakes coming in, but I felt a lot fresher. I hit the ball well, the putting was good, the mind was clear and in the end I’m very happy.

“The course is holding up well. Of course the scores have been good. Maybe a little easier in the morning than in the afternoon. But in any case it will only become more difficult.”

“Golf is ultimately all in your head, which is why it is one of the toughest sports in the world.

“It doesn’t really matter if it’s your home course or not, especially at the Delhi Golf Club it’s very tough. You make one bad shot and from there it’s suddenly a downward spiral.”

Also read: Birdie run gives Lowry edge on day one at DP World India C’ship

Related