NEW DELHI — Eugenio Chacarra boosted his Race to Dubai prospects with a five-under-par effort and Rory McIlroy was three shots behind him at the DP World India Championship on Thursday as a five-hour delay for lightning meant the first round could not be completed.
Niklas Nørgaard, who bagged an eagle at the first hole, held the clubhouse lead on six-under, though only about half of the field had completed the round and 12 players hadn’t even started.
Chacarra was among three players tied for second on five-under, along with Thomas Detry and Tom McKibbin.
Adrian Meronk had a notable, although brief, day with four birdies in five holes. The Polish player is one of six players tied on four-under.
Patrick Reed, who was two-over through four holes, leads the Race to Dubai rankings with Chacarra second and McIlroy third. Four events remain including the DP World India Championship.
Justin Rose posted a video of himself chipping balls onto the bed in his hotel room during a long delay which sets the tournament up for a busy day Friday to catch up on scheduled play. He later returned to complete his round on even-par.
Subash Tamang became the first player from the Himalayan nation of Nepal to compete on the DP World Tour, making his country the 120th nation represented in tour history. He finished his round eight-over.