He’s not leading and he doesn’t even have the cut assured this Friday, but it’s impossible not to focus on the return of Sebastian Soderberg (-1). The Swede has handed in one of the most incredible 71-stroke cards in the history of the DP World Tour. He made nine birdies, six of them in the first seven holes today, and only stumbled on three… But what a three. A bogey, a triple bogey and a quadruple bogey. What’s eaten is served. That’s the DLF Golf & CC, a real minefield. You’re not safe from tragedy until you get into bed with the sheet up to your eyebrows.
Soderberg was the main candidate to chase Luiten in the lead, but the two crashes prevented him. Thus, naturally, Matteo Manassero (-7) and Keita Nakajima (-7) took over. The Italian has picked up speed and is not in the mood to stop. He won in South Africa three weeks ago, took a break, played in Singapore and missed the cut and here he is in India perched on the lead. He could have taken it easy after the win, taken a longer break with the season already assured, but no one better than Matteo knows that every week counts and that good form, which is not eternal, must be taken advantage of.
Meanwhile, Nakajima leaves another calling card. He already did it on his debut in Ras al Khaimah with a fourth place and now repeats it with this excellent 65-stroke card, the best of this year for the Japanese on the DP World Tour. India is not a course for all audiences. You have to play very well, be physically strong and have your head in the right place to be able to fight for the win on Sunday. Nakajima points to all these things.
Up to six under par have reached two very different players, Romain Lagasque (-6) and Jordan Smith (-6). You don’t expect the Frenchman in the upper zone on a course like the Indian one. He has an exceptional short game, there are few with more grit than him on the European circuit, but his long game is not exactly the most orderly in the world. He demonstrated this with his second shot on the 18th, to the left jungle. Still, if he has the right week, you have to count one hundred percent on him. Meanwhile, Smith is a player who seems to have been born to play here. The course and the tournament fit him like a glove and he gets back up, just as he did in South Africa, where he fought with Manassero.
Among the big crashes, the one of Rasmus Hojgaard (+7) stands out above all. He has said goodbye to everything except a miracle. The provisional cut is at +1. Adri Arnaus (+3) will also have to fight for the cut tomorrow, very affected by two double bogeys in the first seven holes of the day. He has plenty of margin to pass the cut and play all four days.
