4 min readGurugramMar 26, 2026 08:09 PM IST
Indian-origin American golfer Akshay Bhatia arrived at the Indian Open for a long-awaited debut in the country this week. He leaves the opening day uncertain of even making the cut, with a reminder of how the Gary Player course at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram has gained its reputation for being particularly treacherous for those unfamiliar with these conditions.
In peak form, having reached a career-high ranking of World No. 19 by winning the prestigious Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month, Bhatia may have hoped to reconnect with his roots; his parents had lived in Delhi before moving to North Carolina. But the feel-good charm of playing in India quickly vanished by the first hole. Starting from the tougher back nine of this course, Bhatia opened his tournament with an ominous double bogey, and was left eight over par after his first nine, with two bogeys, another double and one triple. Reining in his aggressive style and adapting to the conditions, he recovered to end his day by carding five-over 77.
An even stronger recovery would be required on Friday to even feature here over the weekend, let alone to salvage any ambitions he may have harboured of holding the trophy aloft come Sunday. “Just didn’t play good on the first nine,” Bhatia said after his round. “It’s a tough golf course. I mean, I hit an OB (out of bounds) on my first hole (the tenth), so it’s just like you can hit shots that are 5, 10 yards off the line and just be in a really tough position.”
The 24-year-old had built a formidable reputation as a teenager, and recent successes have heightened his profile. But his inclination to play free-wheeling golf and go for his shots, worked against him here. Instead, conservatism and striking at the right moments ended up being the way to go, as clubhouse leader German Freddy Schott proved. With his round of six-under par 66, he seemed to have developed the right strategy on a day when his competitors were busy spraying errors, even if there was a blip at the end. As Don Bradbury, who finished the day third with a round of four under, said: “There are definitely a lot of holes that you need to just sort of get it in play and accept if you are 40 yards further back, but in the fairway, that’s fine and then hit it on the right spots.”
Between Bradbury and Schott, the second spot on the leaderboard was occupied by defending champion Eugenio Chaccarra, who carded five under. The Spaniard’s template for scoring from last year did not change much, and while it yielded the right results, in no way did it suggest that familiarity with the course is the magic ingredient. The home contingent would disprove that handily.
As many as 30 home players teed off here on Thursday and none of them carded a below-par score for the day. Among them, Veer Ahlawat was the top performer, finishing at an even par. The 30-year-old Gurugram-based golfer finished tied-second at the Indian Open two years ago, and seemed to be peaking on his home course again when he hit a sensational birdie chip from the rough to the flag on the 14th hole. But he too, fell away, in concluding his round.
While the course is not playing as nicely as it was last year, when the cut score was under par, the Indian contingent still has plenty to do to remain in the reckoning this weekend. So does Bhatia.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
