Indian Open golf: Dismal start for Indians, OP Chouhan, Aman Raj & Karandeep Kochar tied 14th at 4-underpar

Veer Ahlawat was tied 22nd after shooting three under par, and India No.1 Shubhankar Sharma, who had been in form and seen as the biggest Indian hope, recovered from a poor start and ill health to finish two under par. Gaganjeet Bhullar was tied 34th alongside Shubhankar.

Some of the star performers of the opening day of the Hero Indian Open 2024.#HeroIndianOpen2024 #HIO24 pic.twitter.com/Pz3GAeUc4A

— Hero Indian Open (@TheOfficialHIO) March 28, 2024

Last year’s third-place finisher, Dutchman Joost Luiten, made nine birdies to shoot an impressive 65 for a seven-under-par score, sharing the lead with Italy’s Matteo Manassero and Keita Nakajima of Japan.

With conditions benign – despite high heat and humidity and wind not coming into play till later in the day – it ended up being a low-scoring day. To put it in perspective, German Marcel Siem’s winning score after four rounds last year was 14-under-par.

However, the home contingent did not really capitalise on the first day. Only six Indians ended the round in the top 30, and 10 were in the top 50. Last year, there were three in the top 10 alone after the opening round.

A birdie is what every player seeks, and they take different routes and strategies to get there.#HEROINDIANOPEN2024 #hio24 @dpworldtour @heromotocorp @IndianGolfUnion pic.twitter.com/3wxyCxkWXo

— Hero Indian Open (@TheOfficialHIO) March 28, 2024

Despite this being the home course for many in the Indian contingent, there have been no home winners in the last three editions, and it was not a particularly promising start to the 2024 campaign.

PGTI toppers leading way

As the topper of the PGTI Order of Merit, 37-year-old Chouhan was handed a card to compete on the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) this year, and has played six tournaments this year. Having never made the cut at the Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club, he said the experience of playing on a top Tour against a challenging field has helped him feel comfortable.

“The European Tour experience has helped a lot. Playing against a quality field, and on tougher courses, has helped coming into this event. I feel less pressure here,” Chouhan, the son of a greenkeeper on an army course in Madhya Pradesh, said.

With a flawless front nine – three birdies and six pars – Chouhan was the top-performing Indian before making two bogeys on the back nine.

Chouhan went for an audacious birdie on the final hole but dragged the attempt wide, misjudging the slope and seeing the ball go downhill off the green, resulting in a bogey that saw him fall out of the top 10. But he remained unbothered by the last-minute hiccup.

“I had been playing it as a six-stroke hole (on the par-five 18th) in mind after my tee shot itself. I am not disappointed. I knew if I hit the slope, the ball would roll down. I knew the risk,” he said, adding that he hopes more Indians do well at the national open.

Aman, who played the morning round and was placed as high as fourth at one point, was pleased with his “stable” game. But the 28-year-old was not getting carried away on a course as challenging as this one.

“You have to focus on the present and just keep making the most of it when you’re playing well. That’s what works on this course. Just find the fairway, find the green, and keep moving on. And stay calm,” Aman said.

Karandeep, who finished second in the Order of Merit in 2021 and now plays on the Asian Tour, was pleased that his ball-striking led to a good score after a disappointing start to the year.

Anirban Lahiri, fighting for an Olympics spot after his move to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour saw him plummet in the rankings, described his five-over-par round as a “horror.”

Lahiri, who needs a strong showing here if he hopes to remain in the reckoning for the Paris Olympics next year, is placed tied-127th, and the 2015 champion will now hope just to make the cut on Friday.