Sawt Falasteen - McIlroy dumps driver on India debut, Lowry leads after dog interruption

Lowry got up-and-down at the par-five 18th hole, despite a stray dog delaying his final putt, to complete a flawless eight-under-par round which included five straight birdies from the 11th.

The Irishman led a packed leaderboard by one stroke from Keita Nakajima of Japan who, like Lowry, rolled in eight birdies but dropped a shot at the sixth in his seven-under 65.

Lowry missed the cut last week in Spain on his return to action after the Ryder Cup but it was McIlroy's first outing since inspiring the European team to glory in New York, albeit on a vastly different course to Bethpage Black.

The stunning Lodhi course at the historic Delhi Golf Club is a par-72 layout that is short by modern standards, at less than 7,000 yards, but is studded with the ruins of ancient tombs dating back to the Mughal Empire.

Its narrow fairways are bordered by treacherous dense vegetation on a course that is a throwback to a bygone golfing era, rewarding accuracy rather than distance.

"I feel like this type of golf course suits me," said Lowry, the 2019 British Open champion.

"I spend half the year moaning about golf courses that are too wide. So when I get to somewhere like here, I need to take advantage and I did that today.

"Hopefully I can keep doing that for the rest of the week."

McIlroy, one of golf's longest hitters, said Delhi Golf Club was not the place to unleash 350-yard drives with his "big dog" after finishing as one of 11 players lying five shots off Lowry's lead.

- 'Rough is unpredictable' -

"Dog was out of the bag," said the five-time major champion of his driver.

"Probably asleep in the locker.

"I'm never going to hit driver (here). I just don't see any hole out there to hit it more than say 260, 270 off the tee," added the Northern Irishman.

McIlroy had six birdies but also three bogeys, falling foul of the thick rough on more than one occasion.

"You just have to get the ball in the fairway," he said.

"The rough is unpredictable. You get a lot of fliers."

In third place on his own was South Africa's Casey Jarvis after a six-under 66, ahead of a three-way tie for fourth on five-under par 67 and 10 players locked on 68.

The inaugural $4 million tournament has attracted a stellar field including Tommy Fleetwood, who was one of those to card 68, his Ryder Cup teammate Viktor Hovland who shot 71 and European team captain Luke Donald with another 68.

US PGA Tour stars have made the trip for the event on the former European Tour, including 2023 British Open champion Brian Harman and Ryder Cup rookie Ben Griffin who both also had 68s.

U.Shaheen--SF-PST