Lightning suspended play during the opening round of the DP World India Championship at Delhi Golf Club in New Delhi on Thursday, pushing part of the first round into Friday. Niklas Nørgaard of Denmark holds the clubhouse lead at six-under par, while Rory McIlroy sits four shots back after a two-under 70 on this stop of the DP World Tour.
Weather Halts Opening Round
Storms rolled through the course and officials called for a suspension of play, according to FOX Sports. The delay lasted five hours by FOX Sports’ account, though Sky Sports reported a four-hour stoppage. Play resumed at 4 p.m. local time, per Sky Sports.
About half the field had finished its round by the time the suspension ended, FOX Sports reported, and 12 players had yet to tee off. The final four groups never started their rounds Thursday, Sky Sports reported, leaving the opening round to wrap up Friday.
Nørgaard Sets The Pace
Nørgaard carded a 66 built on six birdies, two bogeys and an eagle at the first hole, good for the outright lead in the clubhouse. Tom McKibbin, Eugenio Chacarra and Thomas Detry are tied for second at five-under, one shot behind Nørgaard, according to FOX Sports and Yahoo Sports.
McIlroy’s Interrupted Round
McIlroy began his round on the 10th hole and bogeyed it before turning in 34 with birdies at the 13th, 15th and 18th, Sky Sports reported. He added a birdie at the second after the lightning delay but gave a shot back at the third, then played his final six holes in pars to sign for 70.
That score leaves McIlroy tied for 13th and four strokes behind Nørgaard. He described the round as uneven. “Yeah, it was okay.
I felt like I hit the ball pretty well for the most part. Missed a few putts early on, got it going a little bit around the middle and then maybe missed a couple opportunities when we came back out after the delay. So overall, it felt like it could have been a couple better but still a solid start,” McIlroy said, according to Sky Sports.
Tommy Fleetwood matched McIlroy’s two-under total despite dropping two shots at his final hole, the ninth, Sky Sports reported.
Where McIlroy Stands On The DP World Tour
McIlroy arrived in New Delhi ranked third in the Race to Dubai standings, according to Yahoo Sports. A two-under start keeps him in the mix on a leaderboard still topped by Nørgaard, but he will need to make up ground on a pace-setter who has already turned in a complete round at six-under.
What’s Next
The remaining groups from Thursday’s suspended round are scheduled to complete their first-round play Friday at Delhi Golf Club before the tournament moves into round two.
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