Rahil Gangjee Lands Eagle To Remain Fourth As Lowry Fires Bogey-Free 64 To Lead DP World India Championship

Veteran golfer Rahil Gangjee secured a 55-foot putt on the 18th hole, securing a top position on the scoreboard at the DP World India Championship held at the Delhi Golf Club on Thursday. This remarkable shot helped ensure that at least two Indian players finished in the Top-10 by the end of the first day's play in the $4 million golfing event. Gangjee ended his round with a score of 5-under 67, placing him in a tie for fourth, while the 2019 Open champion Shane Lowry surged ahead with five consecutive birdies on the back nine to set the pace with an opening score of 64, leading by one stroke after the first round. Japan's Keita Nakajima, who shot 65, claimed the second position, as per a press release.

Earlier in the day, Dhruv Sheoran recorded a score of 4-under 68, featuring four birdies and an eagle, alongside two bogeys. His score of 68 placed him in a tie for seventh. Yuvraj Sandhu, the top player on the PGTI Order of Merit, finished with a score of 3-under 69, landing him in a tie for 17th. Anirban Lahiri and Abhinav Lohan each posted a score of 2-under 70, tying for 28th place.

Shubhankar Sharma (74) concluded with a bogey, finishing tied for 99th and needing a strong second round to make the cut, while Veer Ahlawat (73) fared slightly better in a tie for 82nd.

Nakajima, who claimed victory at the Hero Indian Open in 2024, had been in the lead for a large part of the day after posting a seven-under-par 65 in the morning, until afternoon player Lowry moved past him. He was one shot ahead of Casey Jarvis, who delivered an impressive 66.

Gangjee said, "Obviously, it is great to finish 5-under on the first round. The game has been okay last week, but before that, not so great. So I am really, really glad that it turned out the way it did today. My caddie and I were just out there trying to have some fun. I have been a little too serious with the game in the past eight months. Last week and this week have been fun. I guess it is the way to play golf."

"I have played this place (DGC) a thousand times, so I am not shocked the way I played. But having seen my results in the last eight months, I was not expecting it. Made some changes to my putting stroke, my putting grip. So I am glad it is working out," the veteran added.

As for his eagle on the 18th, he said, "I hit a great drive on the 18th and was in between clubs on the second shot, but decided to use an extra club to hit it past the flag because landing it short of the green would leave me with a difficult chip. Then, standing on the 55-footer for eagle, I thought of a similar putt that I made for eagle a couple of years ago here at DGC. It was on the same line but a little closer to the hole. So it's amazing what such thoughts can do."

Sandhu was delighted with his play and said, "I am really proud that I stayed disciplined off the tee and literally had a hot putter from 15. I had a clean card otherwise and I was patient throughout the round. You've just got to be patient, and it will pay you back."

"I just pulled out my driver on the 10th hole today. Wanted to pull out the driver on 18, but there was a ten-minute delay. But still ended up making a good four. That's the whole plan, just to make good numbers on a decent hole and just be patient."

Sheoran was thrilled to be part of this star-studded field, and remarked, "It is something I have dreamt a lot of times, watching Rory and Tommy on TV and thinking one day that I want to be playing next to them. It is a dream come true in a way. I could not sleep at night thinking that I'm going to be playing alongside them, so it is really surreal to be playing here."

Playing alongside Europe's victorious Ryder Cup Captain Donald and his team-mate Fleetwood, Lowry opened his birdie account at the par-three fifth before getting another from close range on the sixth. The Irishman made four pars before getting his next birdie from 12 feet at the 11th hole.

After sending his tee-shot at the short at 12th to ten feet and knocking in the putt, Lowry holed from a similar range on the 13th for a hat-trick of birdies.

He took advantage of the par-five 14th before rolling in from eight feet on the 15th to make it five in a row.

Lowry then managed to get up and down from just shy of the 18th green for another birdie to take the outright lead.

He said: "I putted nicely today. I played nice. Gave myself a lot of chances and then I birdied a few on the back nine, it was pretty nice.

"It was a really nice group, playing with Luke and Tommy. We all had a great time and played pretty well. I just rolled off a few more birdies than they did on the back nine.

"You know, 64 is a really nice score. It is not that hard when you hit it in play out there, but when you start missing fairways, it becomes quite tricky. I'm pretty happy with that. I feel like this type of golf course suits me. 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 concluded.