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DP World India Championship: 'Surprised' Norgaard in sole lead after birdie blitz
The big-hitting Dane managed the course well on the rain-hit opening day to jump to one-stroke lead
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Restraint off the tee and accuracy on the fairways. That's been the cheat code to tame the Delhi Golf Club in the build-up to the DP World India Championship, and come rain or shine, the adage holds true. The rain did come on Thursday, bringing a delay lasting four hours and fifty minutes. Through it all, the guiding principles of navigating the narrow fairways and thick roughs stood firmer than ever.
When the hooter sounded to mark the end of play, Denmark's Niklas Norgaard had surged to a solo lead, firing six-under and leaving the trio of Tom McKibbin, Thomas Detry, and Eugenio Chacarra one shot behind.
Norgaard was in danger of losing his card in late August but finished second at the Husqvarna British Masters and secured another runner-up finish at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship to regain his form.
Deep Dive
The big-hitter carded an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys and revealed he surprised himself on a short and narrow layout that takes the driver out of the equation.
"I'm very, very happy," he said. "A bit surprised as well. This should not suit me at all. It pretty much just neutralises my best weapon, which is my driver. But I just managed to make no big mistakes, put the irons in play, and putt pretty well.
"I had a tough year until August and I think what happened at Belfry (the venue of the British Masters) made me regain my confidence. I didn't think that I'd been playing that bad but I just needed something to spark it and that's what the Belfry did," he said.
Starting on the tenth tee, Norgaard sank birdies on the par 5 14th and par 4 15th holes before bogeying on the 16th. A birdie on the 18th was followed by an eagle in the par 5 first, a 5-iron off the tee setting things in motion.
"I thought maybe I'd been playing a little bit too conservatively. So I said, no matter what happens, I am going to go for it. And then I went for it and hit it up to 4 feet," the Dane said. The only other blip in the round was a bogey on the par 3 seventh but Norgaard more than made up for it with birdies on the two closing holes (8th and 9th).
"I will go with more or less the same gameplan on Friday. I didn't hit any drivers. I was just trying to hit fairways, hit greens, hit fairways, hit greens. That's the way to get around on this golf course, and then make some putts," added Norgaard, who said the last time he didn't use his driver was "probably ten years back."
"I just managed to make no big mistakes, and I kept the ball in play. On paper, it's not a great course for me because I like to hit a lot of drivers and I hit about zero today. But yeah, everything else was good so that's why I'm shooting 6-over."
Six-time major winner Rory McIlroy and defending champion Tommy Fleetwood were tied-13th after contrasting rounds. While Rory was steady — four birdies and two bogeys — Fleetwood dropped 11 places on his final hole (ninth), thanks to a crushing double bogey. Two more bogeys, one on each nine, and six birdies summed up an uncharacteristically up-and-down round for the Englishman.
"I could have been a couple of shots better, but overall the leaders aren't getting away," said Rory.
"The course is playing a little more difficult than it did last year just with how long the rough is. So, yeah, solid start. It could have been better, but probably could have been a little bit worse at times as well. It's been a long day. It could be another long day tomorrow (Friday),"
The six-time major winner maintained that neither the inclement weather nor the ensuing delay had a bearing on his results. As many as 12 players were unable to tee off.
"It took me a little while to get going again, but that's the same for everyone. We all had to wait that long. The greens became a little slower after the rains, but they were still pretty smooth," he said.
Among the Indians, the experienced Om Prakash Chouhan was the top performer, carding 4-under to take the tied fifth spot. The 40-year-old with four top-10 results on the PGTI this season, fired six birdies and made bogeys on the 4th and 9th on the overcast day.
"I have played a lot on this course, and I approached the tournament as a regular PGTI event without thinking of the elite field. That stood me in good stead," Chouhan said.
