Tommy Fleetwood delivered a masterclass in precision and poise, firing a bogey-free 64 to take a one-shot lead heading into the weekend at the 2025 DP World India Championship. The reigning FedExCup Champion began the day four strokes behind first-round leader Shane Lowry but surged to the top of the leaderboard with eight birdies and a flawless display of ball-striking.
Starting on the back nine, the Englishman birdied the 11th, 13th, and 15th before producing a spectacular hat-trick of birdies across the 17th, 18th, and first holes. He maintained his rhythm through the closing stretch, sinking a 16-footer on the fourth to move to 11-under and finishing strong with another birdie on the ninth to reach 12-under for the tournament.
While Japan’s Keita Nakajima made a charge of his own, no one could catch Fleetwood by day’s end. Major Champions Shane Lowry and Brian Harman sit just one shot back at 11-under, keeping the pressure firmly on the leader. Nakajima trails by a further stroke at 10-under, while Joost Luiten and Brandon Robinson Thompson are tied at nine-under. World No. 12 Ben Griffin and compatriot Michael Kim headline a group at eight-under, setting up a thrilling weekend at Delhi Golf Club.
Player Reactions
Tommy Fleetwood:
“I hit a lot of fairways today and gave myself plenty of chances with the irons. It’s one of those courses where patience is key if you keep it in play, you’ll have opportunities. It’s been an enjoyable challenge, and I’m proud of how I stayed composed out there. Playing with Shane has been great if I’m paired with him again, it means I’m doing something right.”
Brian Harman:
“It’s a tough course to figure out. The tee shots are tricky reminds me a bit of an Open setup. You’ve got to shape shots into narrow spaces and stay patient. I’m striking it well again, and it’s nice to see the ball go where I want after a bit of rust since the TOUR Championship.”
Shane Lowry:
“I was a bit frustrated early on a slow start and a bogey on a par-five from the fairway. But I finished nicely. The course rewards accuracy; if you hit it offline, you’re in trouble. I’m happy with my position and looking forward to the weekend. My mid-irons have been solid that’s where I’ll try to make a difference.”
Keita Nakajima:
“It was tough today a few tee shots went left, but I stayed patient. My eagle on the 8th was special, probably my best shot of the day. I love playing in India; the fans know their golf, and somehow, I always play well here, even on tough courses.”
With Fleetwood in command and a world-class field breathing down his neck, the 2025 DP World India Championship is perfectly poised for a high-stakes weekend showdown in Delhi.
About DP World
DP World is reshaping the future of global trade to improve lives everywhere. Operating across six continents with a team of over 100,000 employees, we combine global infrastructure and local expertise to deliver seamless supply chain solutions. From Ports and Terminals to Marine Services, Logistics and Technology, we leverage innovation to create better ways to trade, minimizing disruptions from the factory floor to the customer’s door.
Our global sports partnerships in Golf, Cricket, Formula 1 and Sailing showcase our leadership in supply chain transformation. From delivering SailGP to supporting the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup and The Ryder Cup, DP World simplifies logistics, drives performance and changes what’s possible.
WE MAKE TRADE FLOW
About the DP World Tour
The DP World Tour is the main men’s professional golf tour of the European Tour group.
As golf’s global tour, we showcase global talent in global destinations and use our platform to build, entertain and connect our global community.
GLOBAL TALENT: We provide pathways and a platform for the leading international talent, bringing together golfing icons, national heroes and emerging stars from around the world.
GLOBAL DESTINATIONS: We stage tournaments in iconic cities and locations around the world and each week we celebrate and showcase the rich diversity of the courses, cities and cultures we visit.
GLOBAL COMMUNITY: We build, entertain and connect communities through our commitment to innovation, creative content and having a positive social and environmental impact.
Our 2025 Global Schedule features 42 tournaments in 26 different countries and comprises three distinct phases: five ‘Global Swings’, the ‘Back 9’ and the ‘DP World Tour Play-Offs’. It features five Rolex Series events – the premium category of events on the DP World Tour – and four Major Championships, all of which count towards the Race to Dubai Rankings, the Tour’s season-long competition which concludes at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
DP World, the leading provider of global smart end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions, has been the title partner of the DP World Tour since the start of the 2022 season, the Tour’s 50th season following its formation in 1972.
We also enjoy the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with DP World, Rolex, Aldar, BMW, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Emirates, Fortinet and Vestas as Official Partners.
About the European Tour group
The European Tour group administers the DP World Tour, the HotelPlanner Tour, the Legends Tour and the G4D Tour and, as the Managing Partner of Ryder Cup Europe LLP, stages golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup, in partnership with the PGA of America.
The European Tour group has Strategic Partnerships with the PGA TOUR, the Sunshine Tour, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, the China Golf Association (CGA), the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA), and the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India. These partnerships provide global pathways for players from across the world to compete internationally on the DP World Tour, the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group which was established in 1972, as well as the HotelPlanner Tour.
