New Delhi, 15 October 2026: Om Prakash Chouhan shot a four-under-par 68 to be the best-placed Indian, tied fifth, on a storm-hit first day of the US$4 million DP World India Championship at Delhi Golf Club on Thursday.
Thunder and lightning stopped play for four hours and 50 minutes, and more than 70 players had not finished their first rounds when darkness ended the day.
Denmark’s Niklas Nørgaard leads in the clubhouse after a six-under 66 with six birdies, an eagle and two bogeys, finishing with a birdie. Nørgaard has twice finished tied second this season.
Tom McKibbin, Thomas Detry and Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra are tied second on five-under 67.
Chouhan’s chip-in
Chouhan, 40, from Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, made six birdies against two bogeys and is two shots off the lead. He shares fifth place with Scotland’s Scott Jamieson, Ewen Ferguson and Robert MacIntyre, England’s Marcus Armitage and Poland’s Adrian Meronk.
Several of his birdies came from precise approach shots. The best moment of his round was a chip-in from 15 yards for birdie on the sixth.
Chouhan, a former DP World PGTI Order of Merit champion and a winner on the HotelPlanner Tour, is seventh on this season’s Order of Merit.
“I am very satisfied with my effort considering the conditions and the long stoppage that we had to endure,” he said. “I had to adjust my mindset because finding the fairway is important for setting up the second shot. Actually, every hole presents a challenge.”
He said the rain changed how he played the greens. “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.”
Chouhan said his knowledge of the course helped him find his way around. “I take it one round at a time,” he added.
Talwar under par
Saptak Talwar, who leads the DP World PGTI Order of Merit, made three birdies and two bogeys in a one-under 71 to sit tied 29th. He was the next-best Indian among those who finished.
Talwar is chasing the Order of Merit title and the DP World Tour card that comes with it, which will be decided at the end of the week.
Long wait for half the field
Lightning forced players off the course at 11.04am, and heavy rain followed. Play resumed at 4pm, but the afternoon groups had no chance of finishing before dark. About 24 mm of rain fell during the stoppage.
Several leading Indian players, including Shubhankar Sharma, Anirban Lahiri, Shiv Kapur, Ajeetesh Sandhu and Sachin Baisoya, were among those still to complete their opening rounds.
Defending champion Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy both opened with two-under-par 70s.
The first round will be completed on Friday morning before the second round begins. Read our preview of the Indian challenge.
