Chile’s Joaquin Niemann held the 36-hole clubhouse lead as fog and haze continued to play havoc with the $2 million International Series India presented by DLF in Gurgaon on Friday with 53 afternoon starters yet to complete their second rounds.
The LIV Golf star shot today’s only completed bogey-free round with a 4 under par 68 to total 6 under 138 (70-68), two shots ahead of Japan’s Kazuki Higa (69-71) and Ollie Schniederjans (71-69) of the US, while the events biggest draws, Bryson DeChambeau (71-72) and Anirban Lahiri (72-71) shared 11th place on 1 under 143.
Guatemalan Jose Toledo, a two-time winner in South America, turned in the day’s best card, a 6 under 66 that included an incredible nine birdies on a course almost everyone but him and Niemann were severely tested. Though he would also drop three shots his two-day total of 3 under 141 (75-66) carried him into fourth place three strokes behind the leader.
Easing into sixth place almost unnoticed was Chase Koepka, younger brother of LIV Golf team captain Brooks on 2 under 142 and eighth place with cards of 70 and 72.
Lahiri had an altogether better second 18 holes compared to his opening 72 while it was almost the opposite for his LIV captain DeChambeau, who dropped three shots against as many birdies.
“I played really good today in contrast to yesterday, a much better rhythm. I hit the ball well. I think I had 15 or 16 greens today, at least. I putted 15, 16 times. You know, a couple of times from the fringe, which is good around this golf course,” the Crushers star said later. “I would say I probably left three, four shots out there. Maybe a putt on seven or eight or six. So, there were quite a few opportunities. I'm really happy with how I hit it today. Felt really comfortable, which is strange. Haven't felt comfortable in DLF for a long time. So, I think that's the biggest positive for me, just feeling comfortable out there because there's so many uncomfortable shots on this golf course, especially the way they've set it up with the pins.”
On his chances of winning the event, Lahiri said, “Yeah. I mean, see, we are 36 holes in. We don't know if it'll be 54 or 72. That's another big question that I guess time will tell. You know, fog will tell. Hopefully, somehow, if we get, you know, wildly lucky and we don't have fog tomorrow. Maybe we have 72, in which case the story changes.”
Dubai-based Lahiri said the feedback on the event had been positive. “The LIV players who are here this week are surprised at everything. They are almost pleasantly surprised to see how challenging, how, you know, demanding and how beautifully kept, maintained and well presented the golf course is,” he said.
DeChambeau also agreed and said, “It's been an awesome time here at DLF. The sponsors have been fantastic, and the people have been incredible. It’s been a fantastic week so far. Barring a little bit of the pollution, it's been a great experience.”
Ahead of the final 36 holes and a win, DeChambeau said anything was possible. “A couple of four- or five-unders should do it. Totally doable. I just need to get my ball striking into a better place — I'm a bit rusty. I’ll finish up the autographs and then go practice a little to shake off some of the rust.”
Elaborating on his astonishing second shot on the eighth hole in the first round, the muscular Texan said, “I only had two options: either chip it out or go for it. And you know me — most of the time, I’m going for it unless it doesn’t make sense. But in that case, the risk was worth the reward. “I knew I could hit it low, shape a draw around the corner, and get it up there. I hit a perfect shot. It was from a downhill lie, plus I had a tree right behind me in my backswing, so it was probably one of the most difficult shots I’ve hit in my entire life. Definitely top 10 or top 15.”
For the 36-hole leader, it has been a case of shaking off the golf rust. “I was busy, but not playing golf,” Niemann said. “I took probably two or three weeks off. Got married, had a great party, and spent some quality time with my family. That actually gave me some extra energy to come out here and perform my best. It's a tough course. You have to hit your tee shots well, find the right lines. Everything can come down to the last hole. I’m just happy to be in a good position heading into the weekend. There's still a lot of golf left to play, and I’m looking forward to it."
“I feel like I’ve played consistently over the two days. This course is demanding, but I think there are more birdie opportunities out there. I need to take advantage of them, in case something goes wrong elsewhere. If my putting clicks, I think I can score really low. Just need to keep hitting good golf shots and let the putts drop. “I like courses that test you like this — it makes things more interesting and adds to the tension,” Niemann added.
With so many players yet to complete their second round, all bets are off on where the cut will fall and even on whether this will go on to be a 72-hole event or cut short to 54 in case of more fog and haze delays over the weekend.
As things stand, nine Indians look to be safely past the projected axe including teenaged amateur Kartik Singh, Gaganjeet Bhullar, two-time Indian Open winner S.S.P. Chawrasia, fellow veteran Rahil Gangjee and Shubhankar Sharma. But as mentioned, no one is putting money into the situation as of now.