Staff WriterIn the pulsating atmosphere of the Hero Indian Open, Keita Nakajima is making his case for another title defence with a performance that’s as sharp as it is surprising.
The 24-year-old Japanese dynamo now shares a two-shot lead with Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra as they gear up for a weekend showdown at DLF Golf and Country Club.
Nakajima’s round of 66—a sensational six under par that sliced a whopping eight shots off his opening 74—has seen him settle at four under par alongside Chacarra at the halfway stage in New Delhi.
Having secured his maiden DP World Tour title at the 2024 edition on just his 11th start, the young gun has shown plenty of grit and guile on a course that doesn’t go easy on anyone.
He wasted no time in setting the tone, getting on the board with a birdie at the first hole before igniting a string of five consecutive birdies from the third to the seventh.
An extra birdie at the ninth saw him turn the front nine in 29, only to encounter his first hiccup at the 11th.
As the day progressed and the fairways and greens grew ever more unyielding, scoring became a tall order.
Yet Nakajima bounced back with a birdie at the 13th—only to bogey the par-four 14th—and although another birdie on the 15th helped him regain his spot at the top, a closing bogey meant he had to settle for sharing the lead with Chacarra.
Keita Nakajima: It was a great day and also it was so fun. I have two more rounds and two more days to look forward to. My mindset changed today because this is a tough course but a fun course. Myself and my caddie were talking about playing it like a fun course. I just tried to keep patient, and keep smiling. That was good.
The key was to keep patient. It’s good for this golf course and I will try to do the same thing, two more days. I feel a little nervous about the weekend because I want to defend my title but I will try playing with a smile and also have fun. That’d be great.
Spain’s Chacarra, for his part, put together a round of 70 featuring six birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey.
On just his ninth DP World Tour start, he was understandably pleased to find himself alongside Nakajima at the summit.
Eugenio Chacarra: Obviously, it was tough. The afternoon wave in a course like this is going be tougher and the wind was strong I think pretty much all day. I’m really pleased with the result because I played very well but I think I left some out there to be honest. I’m just trying to have fun. I know this course is a test for everyone and one bad swing hits you hard. So I’m happy with the result but obviously it’s only Friday. I’m really excited for hopefully a good weekend.
I was just trying to get a plan with my caddie and try to just stick to that plan. Even though the course asks you for another thing or another plan, it’s just tough. We were just hitting wedges and they were skipping sometimes six, seven steps past the pin. It was tough out there, but like I said, I tried to enjoy it and I think I did a pretty good job besides a couple of mistakes.
I think I gave away a couple of shots out there. I missed a two-footer on four and that came from nowhere because I’ve been putting great. On five I tried to be a little too aggressive to make a birdie because I had a good number and I hit it to the worst spot, if you short-side yourself in the afternoon, it’s just so hard to make an up-and-down. I will learn from these mistakes and right now I will go hit some balls and just get ready for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat posted a one-under-par 71 for the second straight day, moving into third position and joining Dutchman Joost Luiten, Italian Andrea Pavan, England’s Matthew Jordan, and Swede Jens Dantorp in a tight contest for glory.
With the Hero Indian Open showcasing high drama and precision golf, both Nakajima and Chacarra seem ready to embrace the course’s challenges—and perhaps share a laugh or two at the expense of its hard, uncompromising terrain.
