Storms halt India Championship with Niklas Nørgaard leading on 66

Niklas Nørgaard finished with back-to-back birdies to shoot a six-under 66 and take the clubhouse lead on a weather-interrupted Thursday at the DP World India Championship. The first round was suspended overnight with much of the field still to finish and 12 players yet to start.

The Dane was one shot ahead of Tom McKibbin, Thomas Detry and Eugenio Chacarra, who each completed 67s at Delhi Golf Club. Play was halted for darkness at 5:53 p.m. local time, with the unfinished first round due to restart Friday at 6:45 a.m.

Starting on the tenth, Nørgaard birdied the par-five 14th and the 15th, then gave a shot back on the 16th. A birdie on the 18th preceded an eagle at the first, where his approach finished five feet from the hole.

He added a birdie at the sixth, three-putted the seventh and recovered with birdies at the eighth and ninth. The last was a 35-foot putt. His card contained an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys.

Nørgaard told the DP World Tour that the narrow layout “pretty much just neutralises my best weapon, which is my driver.” He credited keeping the ball in play, his iron work and putting for the result.

Rory McIlroy and defending champion Tommy Fleetwood both completed 70s, four shots behind the clubhouse leader. Fleetwood dropped two shots at his final hole, the ninth, after driving into bushes. Patrick Reed, who leads the Race to Dubai, was two over through four holes when play stopped.

Om Prakash Chouhan had the best completed score from an Indian player, shooting 68 with six birdies and two bogeys. PTI reported that he adjusted to softer greens after the rain and drew on his familiarity with Delhi Golf Club.

The weather interruption lasted four hours and 50 minutes.

Sources

• DP World Tour: Official day-one report
• DP World Tour: Overnight leaderboard and restart notice
• Sky Sports: McIlroy and Fleetwood finish four behind
• PTI: Chouhan leads the Indian players on a disrupted day

Sources

DP World Tour: Nørgaard on top after interrupted day one · DP World Tour: Overnight leaderboard and restart · McIlroy four behind clubhouse lead · PTI: Chouhan leads Indian challenge