Flawless Shane Lowry in sole lead as tough greens, pins add to challenge on Day 1

New Delhi: When Tommy Fleetwood chipped from the bunker to the hole to get an eagle on the 11th hole, an enthusiastic lady at the Delhi Golf Club shouted, “Well done, Rory.”

Almost immediately realising her mistake she sunk head in her bosom – it had to happen since Rory McIlroy’s name has dwarfed many other great ones. English pro Fleetwood, who was watched by his wife and little son Frankie, looked back and smiled.

“I didn’t hear it but anytime I am called Rory, that’s fine,” responded Fleetwood to www.thedelhijunction.com query on it after the first day at the DP World India Championship golf.

After Fleetwood was through that eagle, Irish Shane Lowry said something to amuse him and both laughed.

Lowry had a birdie on that hole, through a 25 feet putt, and it started his five birdies in a row – from hole No. 11 to hole No. 15.

That catapulted him into joint lead with Japanese Keita Nakajima at 7-under, the best score of the day. A couple of pars followed by a birdie pushed him into sole lead for the day.

“Well I think the type of golf course this is, you need to shape it around the course and hit in position off the tee. It is all about your iron play. My iron play is one of my strengths. I took advantage of that today. I managed a few putts on the back nine,” said Lowry after the day was over.  

The pin positions were tough and according to those that have watched golf for years here, “these aren’t the pin positions for the first day. They are more suited to Day 4.”

A case in point was the first hole. The pin was close to the slope of the green and any mishit would have been severely punished. Then on the ninth, the pin was placed just next to the bunker and to clear it a golfer had every chance of sending it over the green.

Rory McIlroy, who began from the 10th found that out on his last hole. He had to chip it well to get out of trouble and return with a par.

Shane Lowry in action at the Delhi Golf Club

McIlroy’s was day was not up to mark. He found the going tough. Birdie on the 10th, his first, was followed by back-to-back bogeys on 11th and 12th. He then got five birdies before another bogey pushed him to 3-under, at Tied 17th. The disappointment was writ large on face as he rushed out of ninth green without a smile as the fans around him chanted his name and hoped for response.

What was going through his mind was revealed only later.

“It's a tricky golf course. I thought some of the hole locations early on were really tricky. You play a practice round or a pro-am, the pins are all in the middle of the green, and then you get to tournament day and they start to tuck them away a little bit. Definitely played a little tougher than I expected today,” said McIlroy.

The greens weren’t relenting either. There was probably a bit of more water in there. The ball would fly in and instead of leaving a mark as is said to be the norm on a regular green, it was dishevelling the grass.

“The greens are so grainy that uphill putts are very slow, but then if you get it above the hole, the downhill putts with the downgrain get very, very quick, so leaving yourself below the hole is pretty important, as well.”

Strong hits, however, was fraught with risk. A bit off the pin and you were often out of the green.

Lowry, who never expected to play a flawless round, talked about the tough pin positions.

“The pins were tucked in places, yeah. We were commenting on that, me and the lads out there, but if you hit some good shots, the greens were receptive when you're on the fairway and you could get it close,” said Lowry.

Fleetwood, who carded 4-under to be tied seventh, found the 10th and 16th the toughest holes.

“Two or three times I hit it out of position off the tee. Sixteenth was a chip out. But those two bogeys – 10th and 16th – are the ones that are going to happen throughout the week for everyone really. But I’ll try to work and sharpen those things.”

Tags : Shane Lowry, Keita Nakajima, Rory McIlroy, Delhi Golf Club, Tommy Fleetwood, DP World India Championship, Golf