New Delhi: Rahil Gangjee flung his putter aside, threw his hands in the air, and allowed himself a hearty laugh even as a collective gasp left the sunkissed par 5, 556-yard 18th hole at the DGC on Thursday evening.
He had just nailed a 55-foot putt from the edge of the green for an eagle, a shot that seemed to go right of the flag but snaked left just in time and into the hole to catapult Gangjee from 13th to tied-fourth, making him the best-placed Indian on the opening day of DP World Indian Championship.
The seasoned Gangjee, 47, shot a five-under 67 that included four birdies and two bogeys besides that memorable eagle. A two-time winner on the Asian Tour, Gangjee credited his performance to a change in approach.
“The game has been good since last week but it wasn’t great before that. I’ve been a little too serious over the last eight months. I had not been having fun,” he said.
“Since last week when I played at home in Bengaluru, my caddie Som and I have just been trying to have some fun. I feel that’s the way to play golf. We take this game too seriously. We don’t laugh, smile or appreciate our great shots. I’ve just been trying to do that, not being difficult on myself when I hit bad shots. That’s what fun is,” Gangjee added.
Into his 24th year as a professional, the journeyman golfer has toiled long enough at DGC to know its surprises. While the course was “trickier than expected” for world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, Gangjee went about merrily, playing the percentages well and having fun along the way.
“I’ve played here a thousand times, so I’m not shocked the way I played today. However, considering my recent form, I wasn’t expecting it. I made some changes to my putting stroke and my putting grip recently which seems to have worked out well,” he shared.
“I hit a great drive on the 18th and was in between clubs on the second shot but decided to use an extra club to hit it past the flag because landing it short of the green would leave me with a difficult chip. Then standing on the 55-footer for eagle, I thought of a similar putt that I made for eagle a couple of years ago here at DGC, it was on the same line but a little closer to the hole.It’s amazing what such thoughts can do.”
Dhruv Sheoran was another Indian who impressed on Day 1, shooting 4-under 68 with four birdies and an eagle against two bogeys to take T-7 spot. Yuvraj Sandhu, the current leader on the PGTI Order of Merit, carded 3-under 69, and is T-17th while Anirban Lahiri and Abhinav Lohan carded 2-under 70 each to be T-28th.
“I’m really proud that I stayed disciplined off the tee. I was patient throughout the round. You’ve just got to be patient and the course will pay you back.”
It was a disappointing outing for Shubhankar Sharma and Veer Ahlawat, the only Indians with a full season card on the European tour. Sharma went 2-over (74) with four bogeys and a double bogey on an error-strewn day to go with his four birdies. He ended the day at T-99, extending his poor run of form and will need to lift his game considerably to make the cut. Ahlawat was marginally better at T-82 with a score of 1-over (73), making four bogeys and three birdies.
Meanwhile, the $4 million tournament will return for next two seasons at the same course, Yuvraj Narayan, Group Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer, DP World’s Group Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer, informed. “We chose this course for its central location and the history. We are committed to support golf in India and the DP World India Championship will be around for a total of three seasons at least, to begin with,” he told select media.
