Benign DLF course sees three-way tie for Hero Indian Open first day lead

Matto Manassero of Italy continued his fairytale climb back towards the heights of his early career with the joint lead on day one of the $2.25 million Hero Indian Open alongside Dutchman Joost Luiten and Japan’s Keita Nakajima at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon on Thursday.

Once counted as one to watch out for, he became the youngest ever winner in European Tour history at age 17 on his debut season, Manassero was almost lost to the game after his biggest win, the 2013 BMW PGA Championship. Now 31, the Italian has battled his way back into the DP World Tour ranks and earlier this month lifted his fifth tour title in South Africa.

Playing in the afternoon group on Thursday, Manassero had an eagle and five birdies in his bogey-free 7 under par 65 to join clubhouse leader Luiten at the top of the leaderboard. Nakajima was amongst the last to finish the first round with one bogey amidst a rash of birdies powering him up the standings.

In the morning, Luiten set the pace on a benign DLF course, sinking nine birdies against two dropped shots as the much-feared venue sheathed its claws, at least for the opening 18 holes of the tournament. Almost at the fag end of the day, tour rookie Nakajima made it a three-way battle underlining  just why he holds the record for the longest-reigning world number one amateur, his 85-week stay at the top eclipsing the mark previously held by 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm of Spain.

Making good progress on a leaderboard crowded with DP World Tour regulars were Patna’s Aman Raj, Ahmedabad-based Om Prakash Chouhan and Karandeep Kochhar of Chandigarh who were tied for 14th place three strokes behind the leaders on 4 under 68s.

Shubhankar Sharma with a sedate 2 under 70 shared 34th place with Gaganjeet Bhullar and seven others as nearly half the field of 144 went under par on the day, an almost 44 per cent strike rate on a course where 13 under par 275 was the winning score by Germany’s Marcel Siem last year.

Said Shubhankar after his opening round, “I’m pleased. This is a solid start. The putts were not falling early on but I got over the early stutters with a good second half today.

“I started the tournament with a three-putt bogey but then kept landing it close especially on the front-nine. Closing the day by driving the green was a big boost as it helped me end the day with a birdie.

“The greens were absolutely pure when we were playing the back nine in the morning. So yeah, that is there but this course plays well throughout.”

For Aman Raj, it was a day that could have gone even better.

“If I leave the score aside, I'm just really happy with the way I was playing, some very stable, steady golf. All in all, tee shots were on point, and gave myself a lot of chances.

“Having my good friend Arjun Prasad on the bag was also a big help. I think all the credit goes to him. He really helped me stay calm and being stable with the shot decisions and reading the lines, everything. I mean, whatever I was doing, I was able to do in a better way and wherever I was lacking, he was there to help me out. So it was great.:

Added Chouhan, who is playing on the European Tour having topped the domestic rankings list last year, “The Hero Indian Open is very important to me because if I do well, I will have a good chance to improve my ranking and save my card for the next season. So my entire focus is on doing well this time.”

“At the Indian Open at DLF, this is my first ever under-par round, otherwise I have missed the cut always. Today I was just focussing on my normal game and not play attacking golf.

For early leader Luiten who took a solid third place behind Germans Siem and Yannick Paul last year, the start was a demanding one, but finding good lines helped him recover from the two early dropped shots.

“Every tee shot, you know you can’t hit it that far off line or you’re in a hazard or have a lost ball. It’s a very demanding golf course, especially off the tee. If you can get the ball in the fairway you can shoot a score. I think that’s what I did. Unfortunately I had to take two bogeys, but that happens on this golf course.

“The good thing today was that I just accepted it. I went bogey-bogey on three and four and that’s just this golf course. I’ll keep trying to make birdies and luckily I did in the end. I don’t know if I mastered (the greens) but I rolled in some nice putts and gave myself a lot of chances.

“That helps on this course, being on the green and on the good side of the green, so you have uphill puts. I managed to do that well and hopefully we can keep doing that.”

Sharing fourth place were Englishmen Sam Bairstow and Jordan Smith, and Romain Langasque of France on 6 under 66s, while seven players were tied for seventh place on 5 under 67s

DLF golfer Veer Ahlawat was tied for 22nd place on 3 under 69, one shot up the road from Shubhankar and Bhullar, whose round mixed four birdies with two dropped shots.