Hero Indian Open: Rd 2 highlights
Player’s Quotes:
Julian Suri (Usa) Second round 67 (-5), Total 134 (-10)
I put the foot down, but I had the same mindset I had on the first nine. I hit it really well the whole day and I just tried to free it up a little bit on the second nine with my putting. I hit a lot of good shots and gave myself a ton of chances on the first nine but nothing dropped. So I just putted more freely on the second nine, with feel, like how I normally do.
I am hitting quite a few drivers. Driver is probably the most comfortable club in the bag for me so I am being pretty aggressive and with the greens being somewhat softer than what they were last year, I am coming into the greens with a lot of wedges and pitch shots and stuff, so you can score when you are in a good spot.
I’ve been playing well, and I knew I was playing well even though the score didn’t show it after the first nine, so just had to keep plugging away and staying patient.
Callum Shinkwin (Eng) Second round 65 (-7), Total 138 (-7)
It is a brutal golf course, it really is tough. It doesn’t let up from tee to green, basically from the first tee to the 18th green, you have your work cut out. Today I managed to succeed today let’s say, and sort of beat the golf course.
It’s not easy. You have to give the golf course a lot of respect everywhere. Off the tee, into the green and on the greens. Even today, it wasn’t that easy. I had one three putt for par and I don’t think I missed a green today which helps.
Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) Second Round 69 (-3) total 138 (-6)
I didn’t do too good on putting but was driving it well. The course is very hard because there are a lot of slopes so you really have to be careful on where you place your shots.69 has been my best score here so I’m quite happy with it. Teeing off in the afternoon, the conditions were different. Greens were much harder compared to yesterday.
I won’t be too aggressive during the weekend rounds, I just want to try and get from fairway to the green.
My goal is to just finish in the top-10 I haven’t been playing very well especially coming from last week. So this week I hope to stay consistent and keep up this pace.
Masahiro Kawamura (Jpn) Second Round 70 (-2), Total 139 (-5)
The conditions were pretty much same as yesterday, there wasn’t any wind but just a little bit hotter. My tee shots were good again today. I struggled to get on the greens in regulation in the back nine but my short game helped me. I think I had about two up-and-downs from the bunker. The back nine felt a little more difficult.
I’m happy to have made the cut especially on this course. I think my biggest thing to focus on is my putting. Hopefully I can get the speed and rhythm figured out and maybe I can put up some good rounds.
Prom Meesawat (Tha) Second round 74 (+2), Total 144 (-2)
It is really tough out there, I didn’t play too well on the front nine and only hit four greens but I still had a good come back in the back nine. The pin is tougher than yesterday. Playing in the morning is different too I had to adjust my shots because it wasn’t going as far as yesterday when I teed off in the morning.
Two more rounds to go and I am happy to have made it especially on a course like this. I have been playing good and I just want to finish this event well.
I tried to commit on my shots a little more today but I still get intimidated on holes 14 and six. I’ll try again tomorrow and be more committed off the tee and maybe I can get over that feeling.
Berry Henson (Usa) Second Round 72 (E), Total 144 (-2)
It is a battle every day on this golf course so I am glad I got through it. I will probably be in a decent position after today and make a move over the weekend.
It was playing quite similar to yesterday and the more you play on this course the more comfortable you get. But its hard to attack on this course, and it seems like you have to always be defensive to not make a big number.
I’ve only hit one driver over the past two rounds. I hope to take a bit more of a risk over the weekend and try and get in better positions to score. Today I just hit my three-wood off the tee just to keep my ball in play. That was my game plan, to keep my ball in play and stay away from the big numbers.
I haven’t been able to attack with my iron-play so hopefully I’ll get that sorted.
Ends.
Austin, Texas, March 28: Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat battled to a 2 and 1 win over American Bryon DeChambeau on Thursday to keep alive his hopes at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.
After losing a closely-fought opening Group 6 match to Australian Marc Leishman on Wednesday, the 29-year-old Kiradech battled for his survival in the US$10.25 million showpiece at Austin Country Club to secure an important first point that will ensure his final group match against Russell Knox of Scotland remains relevant.
Leishman stayed in control of his own destiny after securing a second 2-up group win over Knox and needs a tie or a win against DeChambeau to progress into the knockout phase. If DeChambeau and Aphibarnrat each win on Friday, they will force a three-man playoff with Leishman to determine who progresses from the group.
Under blustery condition, Kiradech won six holes, five of which with pars and the highlight being an eagle two on the fifth hole where he drove the green and landed five feet of the flag to go 1-up in the match. DeChambeau, a five-time PGA TOUR winner, tied the match twice by winning holes 10 and 12 before Kiradech won successive holes at 13 and 14 which he then closed out DeChambeau on the 17th green.
“I don’t think we played our “A” game. Me and Bryson weren’t playing good golf. I think I just made one eagle the whole day. No birdies at all and a couple of bogeys. In match play, it just depends on the day, especially on this golf course which is really difficult. If you put the ball in the wrong position, sometimes it’s impossible to get up and down. Sometimes par is good enough to win,” said Kiradech.
“However, I’m really happy with the way we finished. I got the first point. I was really proud of the way I won the match. But there’s a lot of work that I need to do, and hopefully Bryson will play well tomorrow, and I’ll meet him in the playoff.”
Kiradech, who is the first Thai to hold a PGA TOUR card, is determined to fight to the end in his bid to replicate last year’s successful run where he qualified for the quarterfinals. With winds expected to make conditions tough again on Friday, he knows the key is to keep the ball in play.
“The key today was about hitting greens. The wind is really difficult and it’s not easy to hit it on the greens. You’ve got to keep the ball under the wind and give yourself more chances, hit it in the fairways, that is the big key for this week,” he said.
South Africa’s Justin Harding was defeated 3 and 2 by world number four Rory McIlroy but still stands an outside chance of advancing into the last 16. Harding needs to win his next match against Luke List and if McIlroy falls to Mathew Fitzpatrick, both Harding and McIlroy will head into a play-off to decide who goes through to the quarter finals.
As one in a series of four World Golf Championships events sanctioned and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is one of the most exciting and biggest events on golf’s calendar.
New Delhi, India, March 28: Thailand’s Prom Meesawat opened his campaign with a four-under-par 68 to trail the leaders Stephen Gallacher of Scotland and American Julian Suri by one shot at the Hero Indian Open on Thursday.
The 34-year-old Thai traded five birdies against one bogey to stay close behind the leading duo who posted matching 67s at the US$1.75 million event staged at the challenging DLF Golf and Country Club.
India’s Shubhankar Sharma, Australia’s Scott Hend, Thai duo Poom Saksansin and Prayad Marksaeng and Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura stayed two shots off the lead following their rounds of 69.
Starting on the 10th hole, Prom remained patient as he tackled the demanding course, rolling in four birdies before stumbling with his only blemish of the day on the eighth hole.
Hend, who was victorious in Malaysia last week, completed an amazing turnaround for his opening efforts. The big hitting Australian recovered brilliantly with three closing birdies after making a triple bogey on the ninth hole where he found the water hazard twice.
Did you know?
· Prom Meesawat nicknamed “The Big Dolphin” is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. He claimed his second title in Chinese Taipei in 2014, eight years after his breakthrough in Korea.
· This marks his best round at the DLF Golf course in his last three appearances at the Indian Open. He finished tied-13th and tied-57th in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
· Prom was accurate off the tees and only missed three fairways and hit 15 greens.
· Shubhankar Sharma hit nine fairways, missed four greens and totalled 30 putts in his opening round.
· Sharma’s best finish at the Indian Open was a tied-seventh result last year. He fired a 64 in his second round, which still remains the course record to beat.
· Sharma will be aiming to be the tenth Indian to lift the coveted trophy at the event which celebrates its 55th edition this week.
· Scott Hend surged up to 134th place on the OWGR after his win in Malaysia last week. With his victory, he ended a three-year title drought on the Asian Tour and became the second highest-earning player on Tour with accumulated earnings of US$5.04 million.
· The Australian, who leads the current Habitat for Humanity Standings, played the par-four holes in five-under-par. He suffered a triple-bogey eight on hole 18, which was one of five triple bogeys made on that hole for the day.
· Masahiro Kawamura overcame a two-shot deficit to claim his maiden breakthrough victory at the 2013 Asia-pacific Panasonic Open.
· Kawamura had a consistent driver to thank for his personal-best round at the Gary Player designed course since he last played the event in 2017 and shot opening rounds of 81 and 82.
Scores after round 1 of the Hero Indian Open 2019 being played at the par 72, 7438 Yards DLF GCC course (am – denotes amateur):
67 – Stephen Gallacher (SCO), Julian Suri (USA).
68 – Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Pablo Larrazabal (ESP), Robert Karlsson (SWE), Prom Meesawat (THA).
69 – Erik Van Rooyen (RSA), Edoardo Molinari (ITA), Ashley Chesters (ENG), Prayad Marksaeng (THA), Shubhankar Sharma (IND), Scott Hend (AUS), Masahiro Kawamura (JPN), Poom Saksansin (THA), Richie Ramsay (SCO).
Ends.
New Delhi, India, March 28: Read what the players have to say following round one at the Hero Indian Open.
Stephen Gallacher (Sco) First round 67 (-5)
It was a perfect morning. Cool to start with and then it heated up later on in the round, and not too much wind, so it was perfect today.
I think you have to get it in play off the tee, there is just so much trouble. I think if you get the tee shot in place you can hit a couple of nice iron shots and take advantage of the par fours that are quite short, drive a couple, and knock it onto the par fives.
It is quite a strategic course. I don’t think you need to be the longest player on the Tour to play it, I think you’ve just got to plot your way around it.
I have started poorly to be honest, I’ve had a sort of big miss in the bag that has been costing me triples and doubles, so hopefully, I knew I was close last week, I played lovely but just didn’t get anything out of it, but coming back to a place where I’ve played well hopefully I can draw on some inspiration from last year.
Julian Suri (Usa) First round 67 (-5)
It was a good day. My caddie Dermot, he keeps encouraging me and calls me the Greatest Showman sometimes after the movie, so I had to give him a little show there. I got the all clear about four or fives weeks ago from the doctor and last week in Malaysia was my first event. With the heat there and all the conditions, the body felt great and the swing felt good too, and it’s obviously still a work in progress but to shoot a score like this, on a course like this, is a good sign going forward. It’s a great test. It’s very dramatic and provokes the imagination a little bit so I enjoy it.
Prom Meesawat (Tha) First round 68 (-4)
It is a very tough golf course, you have to keep your ball n the fairway and try and hit as many as greens as you can. I didn’t make a lot of mistakes, made a couple of bad tee shots but still kept it in play so I am very pleased with my round today.
I hit a really good drive on my 17th hole and was thinking I could get on the green in two shots. But it was a very tough pin position and I didn’t commit fully to the shot. I should have just laid up instead of going for it like how I did with my three-iron and ended up missing the green left.
I wasn’t too confident in my game coming into this week because I haven’t been hitting my driver very well. But I just tried to hit the fairway as much as I can and keep my ball in play. With my distance I could go for a lot of greens in two. I just need to be confident in my game and use my distance to my advantage.
Pablo Larrazabal (Esp) First round 68 (-4)
The conditions were perfect and this is a great golf course. If you hit alright from the tee, or out it in the short grass then it’s not that long, and the greens as good as they are you can hole putts. Very happy starting last year with five under, this year four under, hopefully I can go four better than last year.
I like great golf courses and I love to putt on good greens, and these are probably the best of the season. I didn’t play my best today from the tee but I allowed myself to keep the ball alive and not put myself into too much trouble, and trying to make birdies when I can.
Robert Karlsson (Swe) First round 68 (-4)
It was one of those things, I just got this feeling over the wedge. I saw Dean Burmester hit it just right of the flag, and thought this is the perfect distance for me, and when I was over the ball I thought ‘this could go in’ and when it when in I was like ‘yep’. So that happens sometimes. It’s not easy but it was just one of those shots.
On the eighth hole, I played really well, hit a driver and six iron to the back, and chipped it in from probably 25 feet, so that was great. I don’t think I have ever done two eagles in a row, I have done two in a round but not two back-to-back so that’s pretty cool.
This is one of the most brutal golf courses I have ever played, it’s fantastic because you get found out when you are doing good and when you are not doing so good. Any slight miss and it’s trouble. It is a fabulous week to be here and definitely one of the best courses we play condition wise that is going to test where you are.
Shubhankar Sharma (Ind) First round 69 (-3)
I think I played very well today didn’t make too many mistakes. I missed a couple of key putts on my front nine. Made a silly mistake on six and seven but apart from those holes I am pretty happy with how I finished.
(About his second shot on the par-five fourth hole) I hit it decent but not quite how I wanted to execute it. I ended up with a decent lie so fortunately I was lucky with where it ended up and hit it close enough to make an eagle.
The greens are a lot softer compared to last year. Three-under-par is a good score to start out the tournament especially on this golf course, you need to have a good start to keep the momentum going the next few days so I am pretty happy with how I did.
Scott Hend (Aus) First round 69 (-3)
After my 17th and 18th hole we thought we would be flying tomorrow night. I three-putted the 17th and hit two balls into the water hazard on hole 18 which was a bit of a nightmare. To come back after that was great, and I think so far this year this was the best round that I have played.
I just told myself to get over those holes and concentrate on what I was doing. It’s just one of those golf courses where if you hit a bad shot, you start getting defensive. And I just had to remind myself to not be defensive and keep playing how I have been playing. That’s the hardest part about it, you have to be strong mentally.
There wasn’t wind out there’s so I could still hit my three-wood and driver off the tees. I was quite fortunate with the conditions out there today.
I drove it on the green on hole nine and has a good two-putt for birdie, which were both really tough putts, so to have ended with three birdies after a bad front nine was a good way to give the round some sort of respectfulness.
Masahiro Kawamura (Jpn) First round 69 (-3)
My tee shots helped me a lot today. I missed some easy putts but overall pretty happy with my round. The last time I played here I missed the cut, so to come back this time and shoot under-par is great for me.
Hole number four I chipped in from 40 yards for eagle and that was the highlight of my round. I think my form is coming back and this time I think I am more mature with how I played. There is a lot of trouble out on this course but I was lucky to hit out of bounds once and only lose one ball in the water hazard. Hopefully I will keep hitting my driver good the next few days.
Austin, Texas March 28: South Africa’s Justin Harding, a two-time Asian Tour winner took down 2013 U.S. Amateur champion Matthew Fitzpatrick of England 1-up in his first career match play at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play on Thursday.
Harding was 2-down with three holes to play but won the last three holes against the Englishman.
“I definitely feel as though I stole it. I, like Matty, didn’t really get too much going. I battled with the club selection pretty much the entire day. I hung in there, missed a couple of putts I probably would otherwise like to have not missed. But I guess the up-and-down on 17 was quite special,” said Harding.
The South African will face off against Rory McIlroy in his next match and is ready to put up a stern challenge against the world number four.
”I think I’m going to have to improve a little bit to take him on. Rory’s been playing great over the last couple of weeks. It will be a nice opportunity for me to see how it’s done inside the ropes, and maybe learn a little bit as well, and give the boy a little bit of a challenge,” said Harding.
Big-hitting Kiradech, who qualified for the quarterfinals here last year before bowing out to eventual winner Bubba Watson, meanwhile fought hard in his opening Group 6 match against four-time PGA TOUR winner Marc Leishman before losing 2-up on the 18th hole.
The Thai star kept the match close with some good play but his putting let him down as he made just three birdies during his match.
“I fought hard but didn’t make too many putts. I had some chances but the putts didn’t want to go in. It was good that I kept fighting until the 18th hole and Marc then just hit a great shot into 18 to make birdie for the win. I’ve got no choice now but to try and win my match against Bryson (DeChambeau) tomorrow. He is a great player but I will give it my best,” said Kiradech, the first Thai to play on the PGA TOUR.
As one in a series of four World Golf Championships events sanctioned and organised by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is one of the most exciting and biggest events on golf’s calendar.
Ends.
New Delhi, India, March 27: Australia’s Scott Hend hopes to continue his affinity with Asia when he challenges for back-to-back victories at the historic Hero Indian Open which starts on Thursday.
The big-hitting Hend, who claimed his 10th Asian Tour title in Malaysia last week, is looking to taste success in India for the first time in his career when he takes on the challenging Gary Player-designed course at the DLF Golf and Country Club.
Hailed as the most successful international player on the Asian Tour, Hend had claimed all his 10 victories in Asia, including three titles in Thailand, two in Macau and one each in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Singapore.
Reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Shubhankar Sharma will have another shot at fulfilling his childhood ambitions as he takes aim at adding his name to the illustrious list of Indian winners at the US$1.75 million event.
The 22-year-old Sharma, the highest-ranked Indian on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), set a new course record after firing an eight-under-par 64 during the second round of the Hero Indian Open last year.
The talented Indian held a share of the lead heading into the final round last year but would eventually close with a disappointing 75 to settle for a tied-seventh place finish.
Armed with a more mature mindset and a better game plan this time around, Sharma hopes to redeem himself by putting up another title charge in his National Open.
Anirban Lahiri, the 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, is thrilled to be back home for the first time this year after honing his skills on the PGA Tour, where he has made five cuts in his last seven starts so far this season.
Lahiri, who won the Indian Open in 2015, endured a long haul 19-hour flight from Florida before arriving in New Delhi this morning. He will have to fight off jet-lag to turn his season around at the event which he has enjoyed several impressive results in the past.
A stellar 144-men field from 28 countries will be vying for top honours at the Hero Indian Open, which celebrates its 55th edition this week..
Did you know?
- Scott Hend made his Asian Tour debut in 2007 and is now the second highest-earning player following Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee with accumulated earnings of US$5.04 million. He broke the US$5 million mark in career earnings on the Asian Tour after winning the Maybank Championship, where he took home a winner’s prize purse of US$500,000 last week.
- Hend ended a three-year title drought on the Asian Tour when he claimed his 10th victory at the Maybank Championship last week.
- He was the first Australian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2016 thanks to his two victories in Thailand and three top-10 finishes.
- Hend missed the cut in his past two appearances at the Indian Open but his best finish at the event was a tied-12th result in 2012.
- Shubhankar Sharma is playing in his second event at home this year. He enjoyed a joint runner-up result on his local circuit in February.
- Placed 122nd on the OWGR, Sharma is the highest-ranked Indian in the field this week.
- The 2018 Arjuna Award recipient set the course record of eight-under-par 64 in the second round of the Hero Indian Open last year.
- He narrowly missed out on a win at his National Open after taking a joint-lead into the final round last year but struggled to a 75 to end up in tied-seventh.
- Sharma is the youngest Indian to play in all four Major Championships in 2018, following the footsteps of Jeev Milkha Singh in 2007 and Anirban Lahiri in 2015 and 2016.
- Anirban Lahiri, now a regular player on the PGA Tour, is a two-time International team member of the Presidents Cup. He has won seven times on the Asian Tour, four of his victories were won on home soil.
- Lahiri overcame an incredible seven-shot deficit to become the eighth Indian to win his country’s National Open in 2015. He went on to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit that same year.
- The Indian has enjoyed impressive results at his country’s National Open, finishing in the top-five five times in his past 11 appearances.
Ends.
New Delhi, India, March 27: Read what players have to say ahead of the Hero Indian Open.
Scott Hend (Aus)
It took a fair while for it to sink in that I had actually won, and I didn’t really enjoy it until yesterday morning when I was sitting at the airport in Bangkok on my way here. It was a pretty busy Sunday afternoon and Monday I had a really bad headache from heatstroke, didn’t even get a chance to celebrate, so it’s been a bit of a whirlwind trip here and now it’s time to enjoy it.
I find it a daunting golf course. I wouldn’t say tricky or difficult, it’s just that if you hit a bad shot here you are going to be penalised. If I don’t hit the ball how I want to, I am just going to make a double or triple bogey somewhere and it is a course where you can’t over power it. You still have to be in control of your golf ball and plot your way around the course.
I would like to have a sound tournament and play solid on this golf course. It is a tournament I haven’t figured out yet how to play. I’ve watched one of the shortest players on Tour win around here playing with S.S.P (Chawrasia) when he took it apart, and then I saw Matt Wallace play great here last year. So, SSP who just plots his way around the golf course and just breaks it apart, then you have Matt Wallace who was just pounding the golf ball everywhere, so somewhere in the middle there has got to be a key to playing the course well.
I am starting to get to where I want to be, I am not there yet but it is a slow progression.
I will play the golf course in a very defensive frame of mind. There are some holes out here that you can take advantage of and some you really have to be careful with, and par is a good score.
To win here in India with a lot of Indian friends, it would be special because in terms of national opens this is such a prestigious tournament, it has been going for such a long time and to get your name on that trophy would be an honour and a privilege.
Anirban Lahiri (Ind)
It’s always wonderful to be back home, having marsala for breakfast. I’ve just missed this. Every time I come back, I have happy memories, having played well in this tournament for a number of years. It’s also interesting to see all the young kids coming out and grown on tour. I always look forward to playing this event.
My game has been a bit inconsistent but it is moving in the right direction. I’ve had a couple of bad weekends, but I have managed to single out the problems which need to be fixed and I just need to pull it together and stay focused. I need to clean up my process on the weekend rounds. The problem with me is I always try too hard and losing my rhythm in that process.
Flying in straight from the US and having travelled so much the past few weeks my main focused is to keep my head in the right place.
This course is probably in the best shape that any of us has seen so far. Also in the sense of playability. It seems to be the most playable compared to all the other years we’ve played. The greens are also softer and the grass has settled down. It will be a great golf course, we’ll see how it goes because it really changes depending on if the tees are pushed back or pushed forward.
Shubhankar Sharma (Ind)
This was my home course for the longest time and it feels great to be back on familiar grounds and I stay very close to the golf course so all my family is here to watch me.
Obviously last year a lot of things were happening. I flew in straight from Mexico and then right after I flew to The Masters. So, I had to deal with jetlag and amidst all that I was still able to soot the course record and do pretty well. I am a lot more relaxed this time around and more focused so this year will be different.
The course is playing much better than last year. Most of the players I’ve spoken to have been happy with how the course is. I am obviously a lot more mature this year and really enjoying my game. I just want to get back into the groove again of playing at my best again.
It would mean the world to me, the Indian open is very special to us Indians, especially to win on a course that has supported me in my career.
And to join the past Indian winners that I have idolized since I was young has always been my goal. Hopefully everything goes well this week and we’ll see what happens.
Ends.
New Delhi, India, March 27: Olle Nordberg provides his insights from the front lines ahead of the Hero Indian Open which enters its 55th edition this week.
By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional
The Hero Indian Open has been played at the DLF Golf and Country Club’s Gary player course in Delhi for the last two years, and it has proven to be a real challenge for the best players in the region and from Europe. In 2018 only 15 players finished the event under par, and in 2017 only seven players managed to end up in red numbers on Sunday afternoon.
The 2018 edition saw Matt Wallace capturing the trophy by beating Andrew Johnston in a play-off on the first extra hole after an 11-under-par total of 277. It was the first of his three European Tour victories last year, a season in which he finished a career best 10th on the Race to Dubai.
The previous year S.S.P Chawrasia cruised to a seven-shot win over nearest challenger Gavin Green of Malaysia, as he defended the title he had won at Delhi Golf Club in 2016. He also became only the third player in history to successfully defend this national open, with a winning score of 10-under-par 288.
Last year’s champion Wallace is competing in the WGC-Dell Technologies Matchplay this week and is unfortunately not here to defend his title, but there are a number of players in good form looking to capture the championship on Sunday afternoon.
- Jazz Janewattananond
The highest-ranked player in the field at number 71 on the OWGR list and coming off yet another great event at last week’s Maybank Championship finishing third, the eighth top-ten finish in his last 12 events going back to the end of September last year. He started the year off in fantastic fashion with a win at the SMBC Singapore Open and had a fourth-place finish at the 100th New Zealand Open a few weeks prior to Malaysia.
- Shubhankar Sharma
Sharma had a good chance to win this event on Sunday last year when he was tied for the lead with Matt Wallace after three rounds. Birdies in two of his first four holes in the final round meant he was off to a flying start, however double-bogies on the fifth and seventh hole derailed his bid for his first home Open title.
He will definitely be looking for redemption this time around.
- Scott Hend
The champion last week at the Maybank Championship is obviously playing well and making a lot of birdies as well. He led the field in number of birdies made with 25 during the week in Kuala Lumpur, and if he can continue this trend he might be challenging for the trophy again this week.
Hend has missed the cut at DLF the last two seasons but the confidence he would have gained from last week’s win should be a great asset. It is certainly something you need to have playing this course.
Going though the statistics from last year’s Hero Indian Open at DLF, an important factor is a player’s Tee to Green performance. If this remains true this year, the players below would rank highly in a statistic combining Total Driving and GIR category for 2019, and may be contending for the title on Sunday afternoon:
- Gaganjeet Bhullar (Tee to Green #2)
One of the best all around players on the Asian Tour in 2018, proven by his win in very windy conditions at the Fiji International. Would currently be ranked number two in an un-official TD/GIR statistic this season. Finished fourth in the Habitat for Humanity Standings last year.
- Gavin Green (Tee to Green #3)
The 2017 Order of Merit Champion did not play a full schedule on the Asian Tour in 2018 but is performing well in the statistic this season. He has played well at DLF in the last two editions of this event, finishing second in 2017 and tied 16th in 2018, and seems to have figured out how he likes to play the course.
- Johannes Veerman (Tee to Green #8)
Veerman was ranked number 16 in Tee to Green last year and has improved on this in 2019 up to number eight curently. He finished fourth last week in Malaysia and tied 16th in Kenya the previous week, so is obviously in good form overall as well.
- Scott Vincent (Tee to Green #11)
A very good all-around player that already has a top result in 2019, finishing fourth in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth. Vincent has improved his ranking in Tee to Green from 20th in 2018 to 11th this season, and this may be important this week. Finished fifth on the Habitat for Humanity Standings last year in a season with nine top-10 finishes that included three runner-ups.
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Hero Indian Open: Rd 2 highlights
By - phoebetan
[addtoany]
Catch the highlights from round two at the Hero Indian Open.
Read what the players have to say following round two at the Hero Indian Open.
Player’s Quotes:
Julian Suri (Usa) Second round 67 (-5), Total 134 (-10)
I put the foot down, but I had the same mindset I had on the first nine. I hit it really well the whole day and I just tried to free it up a little bit on the second nine with my putting. I hit a lot of good shots and gave myself a ton of chances on the first nine but nothing dropped. So I just putted more freely on the second nine, with feel, like how I normally do.
I am hitting quite a few drivers. Driver is probably the most comfortable club in the bag for me so I am being pretty aggressive and with the greens being somewhat softer than what they were last year, I am coming into the greens with a lot of wedges and pitch shots and stuff, so you can score when you are in a good spot.
I’ve been playing well, and I knew I was playing well even though the score didn’t show it after the first nine, so just had to keep plugging away and staying patient.
Callum Shinkwin (Eng) Second round 65 (-7), Total 138 (-7)
It is a brutal golf course, it really is tough. It doesn’t let up from tee to green, basically from the first tee to the 18th green, you have your work cut out. Today I managed to succeed today let’s say, and sort of beat the golf course.
It’s not easy. You have to give the golf course a lot of respect everywhere. Off the tee, into the green and on the greens. Even today, it wasn’t that easy. I had one three putt for par and I don’t think I missed a green today which helps.
Prayad Marksaeng (Tha) Second Round 69 (-3) total 138 (-6)
I didn’t do too good on putting but was driving it well. The course is very hard because there are a lot of slopes so you really have to be careful on where you place your shots.69 has been my best score here so I’m quite happy with it. Teeing off in the afternoon, the conditions were different. Greens were much harder compared to yesterday.
I won’t be too aggressive during the weekend rounds, I just want to try and get from fairway to the green.
My goal is to just finish in the top-10 I haven’t been playing very well especially coming from last week. So this week I hope to stay consistent and keep up this pace.
Masahiro Kawamura (Jpn) Second Round 70 (-2), Total 139 (-5)
The conditions were pretty much same as yesterday, there wasn’t any wind but just a little bit hotter. My tee shots were good again today. I struggled to get on the greens in regulation in the back nine but my short game helped me. I think I had about two up-and-downs from the bunker. The back nine felt a little more difficult.
I’m happy to have made the cut especially on this course. I think my biggest thing to focus on is my putting. Hopefully I can get the speed and rhythm figured out and maybe I can put up some good rounds.
Prom Meesawat (Tha) Second round 74 (+2), Total 144 (-2)
It is really tough out there, I didn’t play too well on the front nine and only hit four greens but I still had a good come back in the back nine. The pin is tougher than yesterday. Playing in the morning is different too I had to adjust my shots because it wasn’t going as far as yesterday when I teed off in the morning.
Two more rounds to go and I am happy to have made it especially on a course like this. I have been playing good and I just want to finish this event well.
I tried to commit on my shots a little more today but I still get intimidated on holes 14 and six. I’ll try again tomorrow and be more committed off the tee and maybe I can get over that feeling.
Berry Henson (Usa) Second Round 72 (E), Total 144 (-2)
It is a battle every day on this golf course so I am glad I got through it. I will probably be in a decent position after today and make a move over the weekend.
It was playing quite similar to yesterday and the more you play on this course the more comfortable you get. But its hard to attack on this course, and it seems like you have to always be defensive to not make a big number.
I’ve only hit one driver over the past two rounds. I hope to take a bit more of a risk over the weekend and try and get in better positions to score. Today I just hit my three-wood off the tee just to keep my ball in play. That was my game plan, to keep my ball in play and stay away from the big numbers.
I haven’t been able to attack with my iron-play so hopefully I’ll get that sorted.
Ends.
Austin, Texas, March 28: Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat battled to a 2 and 1 win over American Bryon DeChambeau on Thursday to keep alive his hopes at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.
Austin, Texas, March 28: Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat battled to a 2 and 1 win over American Bryon DeChambeau on Thursday to keep alive his hopes at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.
After losing a closely-fought opening Group 6 match to Australian Marc Leishman on Wednesday, the 29-year-old Kiradech battled for his survival in the US$10.25 million showpiece at Austin Country Club to secure an important first point that will ensure his final group match against Russell Knox of Scotland remains relevant.
Leishman stayed in control of his own destiny after securing a second 2-up group win over Knox and needs a tie or a win against DeChambeau to progress into the knockout phase. If DeChambeau and Aphibarnrat each win on Friday, they will force a three-man playoff with Leishman to determine who progresses from the group.
Under blustery condition, Kiradech won six holes, five of which with pars and the highlight being an eagle two on the fifth hole where he drove the green and landed five feet of the flag to go 1-up in the match. DeChambeau, a five-time PGA TOUR winner, tied the match twice by winning holes 10 and 12 before Kiradech won successive holes at 13 and 14 which he then closed out DeChambeau on the 17th green.
“I don’t think we played our “A” game. Me and Bryson weren’t playing good golf. I think I just made one eagle the whole day. No birdies at all and a couple of bogeys. In match play, it just depends on the day, especially on this golf course which is really difficult. If you put the ball in the wrong position, sometimes it’s impossible to get up and down. Sometimes par is good enough to win,” said Kiradech.
“However, I’m really happy with the way we finished. I got the first point. I was really proud of the way I won the match. But there’s a lot of work that I need to do, and hopefully Bryson will play well tomorrow, and I’ll meet him in the playoff.”
Kiradech, who is the first Thai to hold a PGA TOUR card, is determined to fight to the end in his bid to replicate last year’s successful run where he qualified for the quarterfinals. With winds expected to make conditions tough again on Friday, he knows the key is to keep the ball in play.
“The key today was about hitting greens. The wind is really difficult and it’s not easy to hit it on the greens. You’ve got to keep the ball under the wind and give yourself more chances, hit it in the fairways, that is the big key for this week,” he said.
South Africa’s Justin Harding was defeated 3 and 2 by world number four Rory McIlroy but still stands an outside chance of advancing into the last 16. Harding needs to win his next match against Luke List and if McIlroy falls to Mathew Fitzpatrick, both Harding and McIlroy will head into a play-off to decide who goes through to the quarter finals.
As one in a series of four World Golf Championships events sanctioned and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is one of the most exciting and biggest events on golf’s calendar.
Prom Meesawat opened his campaign with a four-under-par 68 to trail the clubhouse leaders Stephen Gallacher of Scotland and American Julian Suri by one shot at the Hero Indian Open on Thursday.
New Delhi, India, March 28: Thailand’s Prom Meesawat opened his campaign with a four-under-par 68 to trail the leaders Stephen Gallacher of Scotland and American Julian Suri by one shot at the Hero Indian Open on Thursday.
The 34-year-old Thai traded five birdies against one bogey to stay close behind the leading duo who posted matching 67s at the US$1.75 million event staged at the challenging DLF Golf and Country Club.
India’s Shubhankar Sharma, Australia’s Scott Hend, Thai duo Poom Saksansin and Prayad Marksaeng and Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura stayed two shots off the lead following their rounds of 69.
Starting on the 10th hole, Prom remained patient as he tackled the demanding course, rolling in four birdies before stumbling with his only blemish of the day on the eighth hole.
Hend, who was victorious in Malaysia last week, completed an amazing turnaround for his opening efforts. The big hitting Australian recovered brilliantly with three closing birdies after making a triple bogey on the ninth hole where he found the water hazard twice.
Did you know?
· Prom Meesawat nicknamed “The Big Dolphin” is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour. He claimed his second title in Chinese Taipei in 2014, eight years after his breakthrough in Korea.
· This marks his best round at the DLF Golf course in his last three appearances at the Indian Open. He finished tied-13th and tied-57th in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
· Prom was accurate off the tees and only missed three fairways and hit 15 greens.
· Shubhankar Sharma hit nine fairways, missed four greens and totalled 30 putts in his opening round.
· Sharma’s best finish at the Indian Open was a tied-seventh result last year. He fired a 64 in his second round, which still remains the course record to beat.
· Sharma will be aiming to be the tenth Indian to lift the coveted trophy at the event which celebrates its 55th edition this week.
· Scott Hend surged up to 134th place on the OWGR after his win in Malaysia last week. With his victory, he ended a three-year title drought on the Asian Tour and became the second highest-earning player on Tour with accumulated earnings of US$5.04 million.
· The Australian, who leads the current Habitat for Humanity Standings, played the par-four holes in five-under-par. He suffered a triple-bogey eight on hole 18, which was one of five triple bogeys made on that hole for the day.
· Masahiro Kawamura overcame a two-shot deficit to claim his maiden breakthrough victory at the 2013 Asia-pacific Panasonic Open.
· Kawamura had a consistent driver to thank for his personal-best round at the Gary Player designed course since he last played the event in 2017 and shot opening rounds of 81 and 82.
Scores after round 1 of the Hero Indian Open 2019 being played at the par 72, 7438 Yards DLF GCC course (am – denotes amateur):
67 – Stephen Gallacher (SCO), Julian Suri (USA).
68 – Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA), Pablo Larrazabal (ESP), Robert Karlsson (SWE), Prom Meesawat (THA).
69 – Erik Van Rooyen (RSA), Edoardo Molinari (ITA), Ashley Chesters (ENG), Prayad Marksaeng (THA), Shubhankar Sharma (IND), Scott Hend (AUS), Masahiro Kawamura (JPN), Poom Saksansin (THA), Richie Ramsay (SCO).
Ends.
New Delhi, India, March 28: Read what the players have to say following round one at the Hero Indian Open. Stephen Gallacher (Sco) First round 67 (-5) It was a perfect morning. Cool to start with and then it heated up later on in the round, and not too much wind, so it was perfect […]
New Delhi, India, March 28: Read what the players have to say following round one at the Hero Indian Open.
Stephen Gallacher (Sco) First round 67 (-5)
It was a perfect morning. Cool to start with and then it heated up later on in the round, and not too much wind, so it was perfect today.
I think you have to get it in play off the tee, there is just so much trouble. I think if you get the tee shot in place you can hit a couple of nice iron shots and take advantage of the par fours that are quite short, drive a couple, and knock it onto the par fives.
It is quite a strategic course. I don’t think you need to be the longest player on the Tour to play it, I think you’ve just got to plot your way around it.
I have started poorly to be honest, I’ve had a sort of big miss in the bag that has been costing me triples and doubles, so hopefully, I knew I was close last week, I played lovely but just didn’t get anything out of it, but coming back to a place where I’ve played well hopefully I can draw on some inspiration from last year.
Julian Suri (Usa) First round 67 (-5)
It was a good day. My caddie Dermot, he keeps encouraging me and calls me the Greatest Showman sometimes after the movie, so I had to give him a little show there. I got the all clear about four or fives weeks ago from the doctor and last week in Malaysia was my first event. With the heat there and all the conditions, the body felt great and the swing felt good too, and it’s obviously still a work in progress but to shoot a score like this, on a course like this, is a good sign going forward. It’s a great test. It’s very dramatic and provokes the imagination a little bit so I enjoy it.
Prom Meesawat (Tha) First round 68 (-4)
It is a very tough golf course, you have to keep your ball n the fairway and try and hit as many as greens as you can. I didn’t make a lot of mistakes, made a couple of bad tee shots but still kept it in play so I am very pleased with my round today.
I hit a really good drive on my 17th hole and was thinking I could get on the green in two shots. But it was a very tough pin position and I didn’t commit fully to the shot. I should have just laid up instead of going for it like how I did with my three-iron and ended up missing the green left.
I wasn’t too confident in my game coming into this week because I haven’t been hitting my driver very well. But I just tried to hit the fairway as much as I can and keep my ball in play. With my distance I could go for a lot of greens in two. I just need to be confident in my game and use my distance to my advantage.
Pablo Larrazabal (Esp) First round 68 (-4)
The conditions were perfect and this is a great golf course. If you hit alright from the tee, or out it in the short grass then it’s not that long, and the greens as good as they are you can hole putts. Very happy starting last year with five under, this year four under, hopefully I can go four better than last year.
I like great golf courses and I love to putt on good greens, and these are probably the best of the season. I didn’t play my best today from the tee but I allowed myself to keep the ball alive and not put myself into too much trouble, and trying to make birdies when I can.
Robert Karlsson (Swe) First round 68 (-4)
It was one of those things, I just got this feeling over the wedge. I saw Dean Burmester hit it just right of the flag, and thought this is the perfect distance for me, and when I was over the ball I thought ‘this could go in’ and when it when in I was like ‘yep’. So that happens sometimes. It’s not easy but it was just one of those shots.
On the eighth hole, I played really well, hit a driver and six iron to the back, and chipped it in from probably 25 feet, so that was great. I don’t think I have ever done two eagles in a row, I have done two in a round but not two back-to-back so that’s pretty cool.
This is one of the most brutal golf courses I have ever played, it’s fantastic because you get found out when you are doing good and when you are not doing so good. Any slight miss and it’s trouble. It is a fabulous week to be here and definitely one of the best courses we play condition wise that is going to test where you are.
Shubhankar Sharma (Ind) First round 69 (-3)
I think I played very well today didn’t make too many mistakes. I missed a couple of key putts on my front nine. Made a silly mistake on six and seven but apart from those holes I am pretty happy with how I finished.
(About his second shot on the par-five fourth hole) I hit it decent but not quite how I wanted to execute it. I ended up with a decent lie so fortunately I was lucky with where it ended up and hit it close enough to make an eagle.
The greens are a lot softer compared to last year. Three-under-par is a good score to start out the tournament especially on this golf course, you need to have a good start to keep the momentum going the next few days so I am pretty happy with how I did.
Scott Hend (Aus) First round 69 (-3)
After my 17th and 18th hole we thought we would be flying tomorrow night. I three-putted the 17th and hit two balls into the water hazard on hole 18 which was a bit of a nightmare. To come back after that was great, and I think so far this year this was the best round that I have played.
I just told myself to get over those holes and concentrate on what I was doing. It’s just one of those golf courses where if you hit a bad shot, you start getting defensive. And I just had to remind myself to not be defensive and keep playing how I have been playing. That’s the hardest part about it, you have to be strong mentally.
There wasn’t wind out there’s so I could still hit my three-wood and driver off the tees. I was quite fortunate with the conditions out there today.
I drove it on the green on hole nine and has a good two-putt for birdie, which were both really tough putts, so to have ended with three birdies after a bad front nine was a good way to give the round some sort of respectfulness.
Masahiro Kawamura (Jpn) First round 69 (-3)
My tee shots helped me a lot today. I missed some easy putts but overall pretty happy with my round. The last time I played here I missed the cut, so to come back this time and shoot under-par is great for me.
Hole number four I chipped in from 40 yards for eagle and that was the highlight of my round. I think my form is coming back and this time I think I am more mature with how I played. There is a lot of trouble out on this course but I was lucky to hit out of bounds once and only lose one ball in the water hazard. Hopefully I will keep hitting my driver good the next few days.
Catch up on all the highlights from round one at the Hero Indian Open.
Justin Harding took down Matthew Fitzpatrick 1-up in his first career match play at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on Thursday.
Austin, Texas March 28: South Africa’s Justin Harding, a two-time Asian Tour winner took down 2013 U.S. Amateur champion Matthew Fitzpatrick of England 1-up in his first career match play at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play on Thursday.
Harding was 2-down with three holes to play but won the last three holes against the Englishman.
“I definitely feel as though I stole it. I, like Matty, didn’t really get too much going. I battled with the club selection pretty much the entire day. I hung in there, missed a couple of putts I probably would otherwise like to have not missed. But I guess the up-and-down on 17 was quite special,” said Harding.
The South African will face off against Rory McIlroy in his next match and is ready to put up a stern challenge against the world number four.
”I think I’m going to have to improve a little bit to take him on. Rory’s been playing great over the last couple of weeks. It will be a nice opportunity for me to see how it’s done inside the ropes, and maybe learn a little bit as well, and give the boy a little bit of a challenge,” said Harding.
Big-hitting Kiradech, who qualified for the quarterfinals here last year before bowing out to eventual winner Bubba Watson, meanwhile fought hard in his opening Group 6 match against four-time PGA TOUR winner Marc Leishman before losing 2-up on the 18th hole.
The Thai star kept the match close with some good play but his putting let him down as he made just three birdies during his match.
“I fought hard but didn’t make too many putts. I had some chances but the putts didn’t want to go in. It was good that I kept fighting until the 18th hole and Marc then just hit a great shot into 18 to make birdie for the win. I’ve got no choice now but to try and win my match against Bryson (DeChambeau) tomorrow. He is a great player but I will give it my best,” said Kiradech, the first Thai to play on the PGA TOUR.
As one in a series of four World Golf Championships events sanctioned and organised by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour, the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is one of the most exciting and biggest events on golf’s calendar.
Ends.
Australia’s Scott Hend hopes to continue his affinity with Asia when he challenges for back-to-back victories at the historic Hero Indian Open
New Delhi, India, March 27: Australia’s Scott Hend hopes to continue his affinity with Asia when he challenges for back-to-back victories at the historic Hero Indian Open which starts on Thursday.
The big-hitting Hend, who claimed his 10th Asian Tour title in Malaysia last week, is looking to taste success in India for the first time in his career when he takes on the challenging Gary Player-designed course at the DLF Golf and Country Club.
Hailed as the most successful international player on the Asian Tour, Hend had claimed all his 10 victories in Asia, including three titles in Thailand, two in Macau and one each in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Singapore.
Reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Shubhankar Sharma will have another shot at fulfilling his childhood ambitions as he takes aim at adding his name to the illustrious list of Indian winners at the US$1.75 million event.
The 22-year-old Sharma, the highest-ranked Indian on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), set a new course record after firing an eight-under-par 64 during the second round of the Hero Indian Open last year.
The talented Indian held a share of the lead heading into the final round last year but would eventually close with a disappointing 75 to settle for a tied-seventh place finish.
Armed with a more mature mindset and a better game plan this time around, Sharma hopes to redeem himself by putting up another title charge in his National Open.
Anirban Lahiri, the 2015 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, is thrilled to be back home for the first time this year after honing his skills on the PGA Tour, where he has made five cuts in his last seven starts so far this season.
Lahiri, who won the Indian Open in 2015, endured a long haul 19-hour flight from Florida before arriving in New Delhi this morning. He will have to fight off jet-lag to turn his season around at the event which he has enjoyed several impressive results in the past.
A stellar 144-men field from 28 countries will be vying for top honours at the Hero Indian Open, which celebrates its 55th edition this week..
Did you know?
- Scott Hend made his Asian Tour debut in 2007 and is now the second highest-earning player following Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee with accumulated earnings of US$5.04 million. He broke the US$5 million mark in career earnings on the Asian Tour after winning the Maybank Championship, where he took home a winner’s prize purse of US$500,000 last week.
- Hend ended a three-year title drought on the Asian Tour when he claimed his 10th victory at the Maybank Championship last week.
- He was the first Australian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2016 thanks to his two victories in Thailand and three top-10 finishes.
- Hend missed the cut in his past two appearances at the Indian Open but his best finish at the event was a tied-12th result in 2012.
- Shubhankar Sharma is playing in his second event at home this year. He enjoyed a joint runner-up result on his local circuit in February.
- Placed 122nd on the OWGR, Sharma is the highest-ranked Indian in the field this week.
- The 2018 Arjuna Award recipient set the course record of eight-under-par 64 in the second round of the Hero Indian Open last year.
- He narrowly missed out on a win at his National Open after taking a joint-lead into the final round last year but struggled to a 75 to end up in tied-seventh.
- Sharma is the youngest Indian to play in all four Major Championships in 2018, following the footsteps of Jeev Milkha Singh in 2007 and Anirban Lahiri in 2015 and 2016.
- Anirban Lahiri, now a regular player on the PGA Tour, is a two-time International team member of the Presidents Cup. He has won seven times on the Asian Tour, four of his victories were won on home soil.
- Lahiri overcame an incredible seven-shot deficit to become the eighth Indian to win his country’s National Open in 2015. He went on to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit that same year.
- The Indian has enjoyed impressive results at his country’s National Open, finishing in the top-five five times in his past 11 appearances.
Ends.
Read what players have to say ahead of the Hero Indian Open.
New Delhi, India, March 27: Read what players have to say ahead of the Hero Indian Open.
Scott Hend (Aus)
It took a fair while for it to sink in that I had actually won, and I didn’t really enjoy it until yesterday morning when I was sitting at the airport in Bangkok on my way here. It was a pretty busy Sunday afternoon and Monday I had a really bad headache from heatstroke, didn’t even get a chance to celebrate, so it’s been a bit of a whirlwind trip here and now it’s time to enjoy it.
I find it a daunting golf course. I wouldn’t say tricky or difficult, it’s just that if you hit a bad shot here you are going to be penalised. If I don’t hit the ball how I want to, I am just going to make a double or triple bogey somewhere and it is a course where you can’t over power it. You still have to be in control of your golf ball and plot your way around the course.
I would like to have a sound tournament and play solid on this golf course. It is a tournament I haven’t figured out yet how to play. I’ve watched one of the shortest players on Tour win around here playing with S.S.P (Chawrasia) when he took it apart, and then I saw Matt Wallace play great here last year. So, SSP who just plots his way around the golf course and just breaks it apart, then you have Matt Wallace who was just pounding the golf ball everywhere, so somewhere in the middle there has got to be a key to playing the course well.
I am starting to get to where I want to be, I am not there yet but it is a slow progression.
I will play the golf course in a very defensive frame of mind. There are some holes out here that you can take advantage of and some you really have to be careful with, and par is a good score.
To win here in India with a lot of Indian friends, it would be special because in terms of national opens this is such a prestigious tournament, it has been going for such a long time and to get your name on that trophy would be an honour and a privilege.
Anirban Lahiri (Ind)
It’s always wonderful to be back home, having marsala for breakfast. I’ve just missed this. Every time I come back, I have happy memories, having played well in this tournament for a number of years. It’s also interesting to see all the young kids coming out and grown on tour. I always look forward to playing this event.
My game has been a bit inconsistent but it is moving in the right direction. I’ve had a couple of bad weekends, but I have managed to single out the problems which need to be fixed and I just need to pull it together and stay focused. I need to clean up my process on the weekend rounds. The problem with me is I always try too hard and losing my rhythm in that process.
Flying in straight from the US and having travelled so much the past few weeks my main focused is to keep my head in the right place.
This course is probably in the best shape that any of us has seen so far. Also in the sense of playability. It seems to be the most playable compared to all the other years we’ve played. The greens are also softer and the grass has settled down. It will be a great golf course, we’ll see how it goes because it really changes depending on if the tees are pushed back or pushed forward.
Shubhankar Sharma (Ind)
This was my home course for the longest time and it feels great to be back on familiar grounds and I stay very close to the golf course so all my family is here to watch me.
Obviously last year a lot of things were happening. I flew in straight from Mexico and then right after I flew to The Masters. So, I had to deal with jetlag and amidst all that I was still able to soot the course record and do pretty well. I am a lot more relaxed this time around and more focused so this year will be different.
The course is playing much better than last year. Most of the players I’ve spoken to have been happy with how the course is. I am obviously a lot more mature this year and really enjoying my game. I just want to get back into the groove again of playing at my best again.
It would mean the world to me, the Indian open is very special to us Indians, especially to win on a course that has supported me in my career.
And to join the past Indian winners that I have idolized since I was young has always been my goal. Hopefully everything goes well this week and we’ll see what happens.
Ends.
Olle Nordberg provides his insights from the front lines ahead of the Hero Indian Open which enters its 55th edition this week
New Delhi, India, March 27: Olle Nordberg provides his insights from the front lines ahead of the Hero Indian Open which enters its 55th edition this week.
By Olle Nordberg, Former Asian Tour and European Tour professional
The Hero Indian Open has been played at the DLF Golf and Country Club’s Gary player course in Delhi for the last two years, and it has proven to be a real challenge for the best players in the region and from Europe. In 2018 only 15 players finished the event under par, and in 2017 only seven players managed to end up in red numbers on Sunday afternoon.
The 2018 edition saw Matt Wallace capturing the trophy by beating Andrew Johnston in a play-off on the first extra hole after an 11-under-par total of 277. It was the first of his three European Tour victories last year, a season in which he finished a career best 10th on the Race to Dubai.
The previous year S.S.P Chawrasia cruised to a seven-shot win over nearest challenger Gavin Green of Malaysia, as he defended the title he had won at Delhi Golf Club in 2016. He also became only the third player in history to successfully defend this national open, with a winning score of 10-under-par 288.
Last year’s champion Wallace is competing in the WGC-Dell Technologies Matchplay this week and is unfortunately not here to defend his title, but there are a number of players in good form looking to capture the championship on Sunday afternoon.
- Jazz Janewattananond
The highest-ranked player in the field at number 71 on the OWGR list and coming off yet another great event at last week’s Maybank Championship finishing third, the eighth top-ten finish in his last 12 events going back to the end of September last year. He started the year off in fantastic fashion with a win at the SMBC Singapore Open and had a fourth-place finish at the 100th New Zealand Open a few weeks prior to Malaysia.
- Shubhankar Sharma
Sharma had a good chance to win this event on Sunday last year when he was tied for the lead with Matt Wallace after three rounds. Birdies in two of his first four holes in the final round meant he was off to a flying start, however double-bogies on the fifth and seventh hole derailed his bid for his first home Open title.
He will definitely be looking for redemption this time around.
- Scott Hend
The champion last week at the Maybank Championship is obviously playing well and making a lot of birdies as well. He led the field in number of birdies made with 25 during the week in Kuala Lumpur, and if he can continue this trend he might be challenging for the trophy again this week.
Hend has missed the cut at DLF the last two seasons but the confidence he would have gained from last week’s win should be a great asset. It is certainly something you need to have playing this course.
Going though the statistics from last year’s Hero Indian Open at DLF, an important factor is a player’s Tee to Green performance. If this remains true this year, the players below would rank highly in a statistic combining Total Driving and GIR category for 2019, and may be contending for the title on Sunday afternoon:
- Gaganjeet Bhullar (Tee to Green #2)
One of the best all around players on the Asian Tour in 2018, proven by his win in very windy conditions at the Fiji International. Would currently be ranked number two in an un-official TD/GIR statistic this season. Finished fourth in the Habitat for Humanity Standings last year.
- Gavin Green (Tee to Green #3)
The 2017 Order of Merit Champion did not play a full schedule on the Asian Tour in 2018 but is performing well in the statistic this season. He has played well at DLF in the last two editions of this event, finishing second in 2017 and tied 16th in 2018, and seems to have figured out how he likes to play the course.
- Johannes Veerman (Tee to Green #8)
Veerman was ranked number 16 in Tee to Green last year and has improved on this in 2019 up to number eight curently. He finished fourth last week in Malaysia and tied 16th in Kenya the previous week, so is obviously in good form overall as well.
- Scott Vincent (Tee to Green #11)
A very good all-around player that already has a top result in 2019, finishing fourth in the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth. Vincent has improved his ranking in Tee to Green from 20th in 2018 to 11th this season, and this may be important this week. Finished fifth on the Habitat for Humanity Standings last year in a season with nine top-10 finishes that included three runner-ups.
Headlines at a glance
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- May 2017
- March 2015
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- January 2009
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