Om Prakash Chouhan cards four-under 68 at rain-hit DP World India Championship

Hyderabad: Niklas Norgaard of Denmark emerged as the clubhouse leader with a six-under-par 66 on the rain-affected first day of the US$4 million DP World India Championship.

Om Prakash Chouhan, a winner on the DP World PGTI this year, kept the Indian flag flying with a commendable four-under-par 68, featuring six birdies and two bogeys. He was the best-placed Indian, tied for fifth among players who had completed their rounds.

Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood of England and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland carded two-under-par scores on the opening day of the event, co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and the DP World PGTI.

India’s Saptak Talwar, the current DP World PGTI Order of Merit leader, also made a positive start, carding a one-under-par 71 with three birdies and two bogeys.

Overcast skies in the morning gave way to light drizzle and the threat of lightning, resulting in a suspension of play at 11 am local time. A heavy downpour followed, extending the stoppage to four hours and 50 minutes. Play finally resumed at 4 pm.

As a result, only the morning session, featuring half the field of 72 players, could complete the first round on Thursday.

Om Prakash Chouhan, a former DP World PGTI Order of Merit champion and a winner on the HotelPlanner Tour, struck several excellent approach shots throughout the day, setting up most of his birdies with pinpoint accuracy on the greens. The 40-year-old, who has won 12 professional titles, made a superb recovery from the rough to salvage a birdie on the eighth hole.

However, the highlight of Chouhan’s round was his chip-in from 15 yards for a birdie on the sixth hole.

Om Prakash, currently ranked seventh on the DP World PGTI Order of Merit, said: “I’m very satisfied with my effort, considering the conditions and the long stoppage we had to endure. Before the rain, the greens were firm and the ball was rolling out, so I had to think carefully about whether to attack the flags. After the rain, I could be more aggressive.

“I found a lot of fairways today, and that set up my second shots. My local knowledge and experience of playing at the Delhi Golf Club for so many years obviously helped.

“I changed my putter recently, and that was reflected in my good putting today. I’m carrying my driver in the bag but don’t really intend to use it.”

Saptak Talwar reflected on his round, saying: “I felt like I was rolling the putts well. There were just a couple of misreads here and there on putts that I thought were good chances to make a couple more birdies. But overall, I’m pleased with the start.

“I’m most excited about trying to build on one round after another. If I can tidy up a few things around the greens, I feel I can look forward to a good week.”

Among the other Indians, Manu Gandas was one-under-par after one hole, Anirban Lahiri was at even par through five holes, Khalin Joshi was at even par through three holes, while Amardeep Malik and Kartik Singh were both at even par through one hole.

Manoj S and Veer Ahlawat completed their rounds with scores of 73 and 74, respectively.

Shubhankar Sharma was two-over-par after playing five holes.