Staff WriterA beacon of golfing drama this week, as the opening round at DLF Golf and Country Club has delivered plenty of twists and turns.
Nicolas Colsaerts recovered from a slow start to share the lead alongside Marcus Armitage and Marcus Kinhult on the first round of the Hero Indian Open leaderboard.
Colsaerts, a three-time DP World Tour winner, set the target early in the day after signing for a round of 68 despite two bogeys in his opening three holes, before Swede Kinhult and Englishman Armitage joined him at the top of the leaderboard on four under at DLF Golf and Country Club.
The 2023 European Ryder Cup Vice-Captain regained his DP World Tour card for 2025 after finishing second at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship towards the end of last season, and he is hoping to kick-start his campaign with a positive result in India this week.
The 42-year-old recorded his first birdie of the day at the fourth and followed that up with another at the sixth.
A dropped shot at the seventh, followed by back-to-back gains at the eighth and ninth, saw him make the turn at one under.
Further birdies arrived at the tenth, 14th and the par five 15th as the Belgian navigated the back nine without dropping a shot to set the target at DLF Golf and Country Club—one of the toughest layouts on the DP World Tour.
Kinhult made an impressive start to his first round with birdies at the first, second and fourth. He made a bogey five at the seventh before bouncing back immediately with a gain at the par-five eighth to turn at three under par.
Armitage, who has been in fine form during the 2025 Race to Dubai—bolstered by a fifth-place finish at last week’s Porsche Singapore Classic—was pleased to keep that momentum going on day one of the Hero Indian Open, the second of four events on the Asian Swing.
Six-time DP World Tour winner Joost Luiten, home favourite Ajeetesh Sandhu, Frenchman Ugo Coussaud and English trio Ross Fisher, Todd Clements and Matthew Jordan share fourth position on three under par.
The unfolding drama on the Hero Indian Open Leaderboard not only underscores the fierce competition but also highlights the unique challenges of this tour stop, ensuring that every round is as unpredictable as it is enthralling.
