Andy DevaneyNearly five hours of Thursday disappeared into storms. On Friday, Joost Luiten was left to squeeze 34 holes into a single day, and the DP World India Championship still could not produce an outright leader.
Luiten, Angel Hidalgo and Adrian Meronk finished at eight under, sharing the clubhouse lead when darkness interrupted the second round. It was a crowded place to be. Thomas Detry had reached the same mark with only six holes of his second round played, while Todd Clements, Eddie Pepperell and Eugenio Chacarra were a shot further back.
The three men safely into the clubhouse had taken different routes to the same score. Luiten and Hidalgo signed for successive 68s; Meronk followed his opening round with a 69. After the weather had turned the opening two days into a test of endurance as well as golf, getting two rounds completed was an achievement in itself.
Meronk’s only bogey arrives at the wrong moment
Meronk had briefly claimed the lead for himself. The Pole, arriving with a recent Alfred Dunhill Links Championship victory behind him, picked up shots at the 14th, 17th, first and eighth in round two. Then came a bogey at the ninth, his only dropped shot of the week so far, and a return to the eight-under group.
It was a slightly irritating end to an otherwise productive day. His broader assessment was less troubled, even if the physical toll was obvious.
“Very solid. Very long day. I’m just glad it’s over to be honest. I’m knackered.”
Meronk credited sensible positioning from the tee and a reliable short game for his progress. He also described a growing sense of trust in his golf after a stretch in which promising form had not always translated into the finishes he wanted. On a course demanding care off the tee, that confidence has arrived at a useful time.
Luiten’s recovery keeps him in touch
Luiten’s Friday covered more ground than either of his fellow clubhouse leaders: 34 holes, played in six under for the day, to complete rounds of 68 and 68. He appeared ready to finish even better after three consecutive birdies beginning at the 13th, followed by further gains at the 18th and second.
Those gains carried him to nine under, but a double bogey at the eighth cost him the outright advantage. His response was immediate. A birdie putt from 14 feet at the ninth restored some order and left him tied at the top rather than wondering how much damage one hole had done.
For a player emerging from such a long day, the distinction matters. Luiten heads into the remaining golf with the mistake already answered.
Hidalgo takes his French form to India
Hidalgo was another player required to play 32 holes on Friday, and the Spaniard matched Luiten’s pair of 68s. He found birdies at the first, sixth, seventh, eighth and 14th, absorbed a double bogey and closed with one more gain to secure his share of the lead.
His runner-up finish at the FedEx Open de France has already earned him a place in the DP World Tour Play-Offs. He has also been working on his putting and swing through the summer, an effort he believes is beginning to show in his scoring.
There is a practical benefit to that late-season improvement: Hidalgo is playing the closing stretch with his place in the play-offs secured, while others around him have more immediate concerns.
The clubhouse lead is only part of the picture
Detry remains firmly involved. The Belgian completed his opening round on Thursday, then birdied the first, second and fifth on Friday to reach eight under through six holes of round two before darkness stopped play.
A stroke behind, Clements returned rounds of 69 and 68 after playing 31 holes. Pepperell squeezed 71 and 66 into his own marathon shift. For the Englishman, sitting 100th on the Race to Dubai Rankings, that 66 could be especially valuable as he seeks to improve his prospects of retaining a full card for next season.
Chacarra, meanwhile, was also seven under after five holes of his second round. A sufficiently strong finish this week could take him to the top of the Race to Dubai Rankings on Sunday.
So the leaderboard has three names at its clubhouse summit, but no shortage of players capable of changing the picture when play resumes.
After the storms, the long shifts and the late stumbles, eight-under is a lead that comes with very little breathing room.
