DLF Golf and Country Club was a stern test for the world-class field at the International Series India presented by DLF last week. In the end only four players managed to finish the 72 holes in red figures: the winner Ollie Schniederjans (-10), Bryson DeChambeau (-6), Joaquin Niemann (-4) and Abraham Ancer (-4).

The unforgiving par 72 course was set up to maximum difficulty level, with trouble left and right off the tee plus firm and fast greens. This combined with difficult pin positions meant the cut was made at a whopping eight over par.

The 2020 and 2024 U.S. Open champion DeChambeau jokingly called it “diabolic” in a press conference before the tournament started. The average score for the week was 75.084, and the back nine played almost a shot and a half higher than the front at 38.255 verses 36.829. There were 1,073 birdies, 31 eagles and one albatross made during the week, but also 1,357 bogies, 308 doubles and 78 triples or higher.

Bryson Dechambeau. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Former PGA Tour player Schniederjans of the United States won the tournament by playing the difficult back nine much better than any of his closest challengers, posting scores of 35, 33, 33 and 34, for a total of nine under par, while DeChambeau played it in two over par and Niemann and Ancer in three over par. A staggering difference.

The winner excelled on the tricky greens at DLF topping the stats for both Putts per Round and Putts per Greens in Regulation (GIR) with 26.25 and 1.617 respectively. He also led the field with 23 birdies, three more than compatriot Chase Koepka who was second with 20. Schniederjans other statistic were: GIR 65.28% (T21), Driving Distance 285.33 yards (51^st) and Fairways Hit 51.79% (T64).

Fellow American DeChambeau did not have his best week on the greens ranking T15 and 37^th in Putts per Rounds and Putts per GIR with 29.5 and 1.784 respectively. However, posted good numbers in GIR where he ranked T4 with 70.83%. As demanding as the course was off the tee he would not have been able to use his immense power to his full advantage, but still had an impressive Driving Distance average of 310.88 yards ranking fifth while hitting 67.86% of the fairways for T19.

Chilean Niemann, who led after the second round, would have had a better chance to challenge for the title if not for a disastrous 77 in the third round, where he played the treacherous back nine in six-over-par 42. The reigning International Series Rankings champion was joint top of the fewest number of bogeys or worse table with 10, along with DeChambeau, and had a great week off the tee and into the greens, ranking T4 in GIR with 70.83%, second in Driving Distance with 313.25 yards and T13 in Fairways Hit with 69.64%.

Joaquin Niemann. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.

Unfortunately, his putting stats left a lot to be desired, ranking T50 in Putts per Round with 31 and 52^nd in Putts per GIR with 1.863.

Mexico’s Ancer posted four solid rounds of 72, 71, 71 and 72 and was the only player other than Schniederjans to not shoot a round over par at DLF. He had a good week with his approach game ranking T8 in GIR with 69.44%, but didn’t rank inside the top 10 in any of the other major stat categories. In both Putts per Round and Putts per GIR he ranked T29 with 30 and 1.76 respectively, 20^th in Driving Distance with 298.38 yards and T13 in Fairways Hit with 69.64%.

Statistics Categories leaders at the International Series India presented by DLF (of players making the cut):

• Putts per Round – Ollie Schniederjans (US): 26.25
• Putts per GIR – Ollie Schniederjans (US): 1.617
• GIR – Maverick Antcliff (AUS), Danthai Boonma: 73.61%
• Fairways Hit – Karandeep Kochhar: 80.36%
• Driving Distance – Scott Hend (AUS): 321.88 yards
• Most Eagles – Manav Shah (USA): 3
• Most Birdies – Ollie Schniederjans (US): 23
• Fewest Bogies or Worse: Kazuki Higa (JPN), Joaquin Niemann (CHI), Bryson DeChambeau (USA), Chonlatit Chuenboonngam (THA) 10
• Scrambling: Chonlatit Chuenboonngam (THA) 73.33%

The Asian Development Tour (ADT) will make a popular and long-awaited return to Pakistan this month for the inaugural ADT Rumanza Open Pakistan.

Boasting prizemoney of US$85,000 it will be held on the Sir Nick Faldo-designed course at Rumanza Golf & Country Club in Multan, a city in Punjab in central Pakistan, from February 19-22.

It will be the second stop of the season on the ADT – which got underway at the PKNS Selangor Masters in Malaysia two weeks ago, where victory went to Thailand’s Tawit Polthai – and marks the first time an ADT event has been played in Pakistan in six years.

Said Ken Kudo, General Manager, ADT: “We have been working on returning to Pakistan for some time now and so we are thrilled to be able to confirm the launch of the ADT Rumanza Open Pakistan.

“It is an exciting new event in a market that offers so much potential, as shown by the emergence of local player Ahmad Baig – a two-time winner on the ADT last year, who now has his Asian Tour card, by virtue of finishing in the top-10 on our circuit’s Order of Merit.

“We are also fortunate to be heading to an outstanding venue in Rumanza Golf & Country Club – a new venue and the first signature course in the country. The tournament is happening very soon as well – a great development for the Tour, its members and golf in Pakistan. We thank Rumanza Golf & Country Club and the Pakistan Golf Federation for their help and support.”

The 132-man field will feature 54 players from the ADT, 50 from the Pakistan Golf Federation, 18 ADT invites and 10 invites from the club.

“With great enthusiasm, the Pakistan Golf Federation continues its commitment to fostering professional golf by hosting another ADT event,” said Lt. Gen. Qazi Ikram, President, Pakistan Golf Federation.

“This will further showcase Pakistan’s potential as a prime venue for international golf tournaments. Our efforts aim to highlight Pakistan as a premier golf destination while providing local talent a platform to compete internationally. We extend our gratitude to the Asian Tour for their collaboration and to Rumanza Golf & Country Club and DHA Multan for their exceptional support.”

Rumanza Golf & Country Club, scenically exceptional with features 49 eco bunkers, four large lakes, and citrus orchards, was opened to much fanfare in February of 2022 with the Rumanza Inaugural Challenge.

A star-studded team of Graeme McDowell, Charley Hull and Hamza Amin beat a team made up of Rafa Cabrera Bello, Baig and Humna Amjed. Faldo was the guest of honour.

The ADT last visited Pakistan in October of 2019 for the RAYA Pakistan Open. The tournament was won by none other than Korean star Tom Kim, who was 17 at the time. It was the third of his three victories that season that earned him a battlefield promotion to the Asian Tour.

Main Picture: Ahmad Baig.

Ollie Schniederjans completed a fairytale comeback victory in International Series India presented by DLF today at DLF Golf and Country Club, in New Delhi.

The American, lifted by an outrageous chip in for birdie on 13, fired a three-under-par 69 for a four-round aggregate of 10-under.

It gave him a surprise four-shot victory over reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, his nearest challenger – in the opening event of the year on The International Series that brought crowds flocking to Gurugram.

The two-time major winner pulled out all the stops with a seven-under par round of 65, but it wasn’t enough to cancel out an eight-shot gap that Schniederjans had built up over him going into the final round, and he finished on six under for the week.

Ollie Schniederjans of the USA. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Abraham Ancer of Fireballs GC finished joint third on two under after a level-par final round, alongside reigning International Series Rankings champion Joaquin Niemann, with only four players finishing under par on the testing Gary Player-designed course.

“It means a lot to me,” said the 31-year-old Schniederjans, ably supported by his middle brother Ben as caddie this week. “This golf course is very challenging, and back in the day I would have had a hard time out here, so to come out and shoot those scores now, with everything I have been through, my game is a lot better than it ever was. This was proof this week.”

The third round had to be completed this morning, and Schniederjans got off to a great start as he carved out a three-shot lead on seven under. The field had nine holes to finish after a first shotgun start on Saturday afternoon, and the American birdied his first three holes – 10, 11 and 12 – enroute to a 69.

Japan’s Higa (72) had started the final round in second place on four under, but ultimately fell away to T5 on level par after a four-over final round of 76.

Joaquin Niemann of Chile. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

The backlog was the result of long delays every day caused by thick fog each morning. In order to complete 72 holes, the organisers switched to shotgun starts for rounds three and four, with players staying in the same pairings.

They started round four immediately after completion of round three and Schniederjans did not let up in pursuit of a morale-boosting victory, with Australian Greg Norman walking the course and watching intently.

He had a five-shot lead at the turn from Higa and DeChambeau. That lead became six when he sensationally chipped in for a three on the par-four 13th from a difficult lie to the right of green, where it looked like a bogey would be more likely.

And despite a bogey on 17, the American safely made par on 18 to see things out, narrowly missing out on a birdie chip in from the fringe of the green.

(L-R) Ollie Schniederjans of the USA and Kazuki Higa of Japan. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Schniederjans’ win is a remarkable one. He had replacement surgery on both hips in 2022 and was out of the game for well over a year.

It was his final attempt to fix a whole host of injury issues which had derailed the career of a player who was ranked the world’s top amateur in 2014 for 41 consecutive weeks. He also won on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2016, the year after turning professional.

Schniederjans is playing this week by virtue of finishing fourth at last year’s LIV Golf Promotions event, with the top-10 players earning playing rights for The International Series.

He just missed out on winning the event in Saudi, which brings a passage onto the LIV Golf League, but having triumphed today he has made the ideal start to The International Series Rankings race, with the champion also earning a berth on the roster.

Speaking out about his long journey back to victory after out his long journey back to victory, he said: “It was a long process, it took a lot of patience. I did a lot to change my body and swing, and had to learn a lot through that process.

“There were setbacks that took me years to get to this point. This year has been good, I have been able to be on the course all year for a year now. I’ve been able to put everything together, and I knew something like this was coming.”

Bryson DeChambeau of the USA. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

DeChambeau did all he could to catch his compatriot.

“Yeah, I scored really well and made a lot of great putts. Got off to a hot start on 18… I am pleased with how I performed and played but not pleased with how I struck ball. I have been hitting it so well, I played a Break 50 (Bryson’s YouTube show) and was hitting it so well. I don’t know what happened so I have to figure it out for LIV Golf Riyadh this coming week.”

Sebastian Munoz of Colombia, Spain’s Eugenio Chacarra and Higa of Japan finished T5 on level par, ahead of Australian Kevin Yuan and Chase Koepka in eighth place on one over.

A six-man group which included local hero Anirban Lahiri, DeChambeau’s Crushers GC team mate on LIV Golf, finished T10, while Frenchman Julien Sale, winner of the Smart Infinity Philippine Open last week, the Asian Tour’s season-opener, finished in a group on T16 with Asian Tour Rookie of the Stefano Mazzoli.

Fellow Indian Gaganjeet Bhullar, the 11-time Asian Tour champion, was T24 on seven over, two ahead of Karandeep Kochhar (+9), with Yuvraj Sandhu on 11 over.

Amateur star Kartik Singh, who at aged 15 became the youngest Indian to make the cut on the Asian Tour, signed off with a 75 to finish T53, just behind Shubhankar Sharma and SSP Chawrasia. Shiv Kapur, Ajeetesh Sandhu and Rahil Gangjee were the other Indian players to finish the weekend after making the cut.

The next event on the Asian Tour is the New Zealand Open presented by Sky Sport (February 27 – March 2), which will be followed by the International Series Macau presented by Wynn (March 20-23) – the second elevated event of 10 that offers a pathway onto the LIV Golf League.

The first ever shotgun start on The International Series saw the advantage lie with Joaquin Niemann today during the third round of the International Series India presented by DLF.

The Chilean reached seven under for the tournament at DLF Golf and Country Club after eight holes before darkness brought day three to an end.

Japan’s Kazuki Higa and Ollie Schniederjans from the United States, playing in the same group as Niemann, are one and three shots back respectively.

Niemann led after the second round, which was completed earlier in the day, by two shots from Higa and Schniederjans, and looks to be well in control of his game heading into tomorrow. They are all due to putt out on nine when they return in the morning. He made a birdie, on the third, and parred all the other holes in the third round.

Kazuki Higa. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

Thick fog each day has caused numerous delays which resulted in the organisers moving to a shotgun start for rounds three and four in order for the tournament to reach completion on Sunday.

Play will commence at 7.30am tomorrow, weather permitting, with the final round starting at 11.10am.

Niemann is attempting to win back-to-back titles on The International Series having claimed the season-ending PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers in December.

Australian Travis Smyth and Eugenio Chacarra from Spain are in joint fourth, four behind the front runner.

American Bryson DeChambeau, the star attraction this week and current US Open champion, is six back from the top.

Ollie Schniederjans. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

It is the first time there has been a shotgun start on The International Series but not on the Asian Tour. Last year’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters saw two shotgun starts at the weekend because of delays caused by Typhoon Krathon.

This week’s inaugural US$2million event is the first event of the season on The International Series and the second stop on the Asian Tour, after last week’s Smart Infinity Philippine Open.

The second round of the International Series India presented by DLF was finally completed this afternoon with no one able to catch the overnight leader Joaquin Niemann from Chile.

Niemann fired second-round four-under-par 68 yesterday to secure the halfway lead on six-under by two from American Ollie Schniederjans and Japan’s Kazuki Higa.

American MJ Maguire was the only the player who came closest to joining him today after firing a 68, to move into the tie for second.

Travis Smyth from Australia returned a 69 and is one stroke back along with Filipino Justin Quiban and Jose Toledo from Guatemala, who shot a 66 yesterday – the best round of the week so far.

M.J. Maguire. Picture By Ian Walton/Asian Tour.

First-round leader Eugenio Chacarra from Spain carded a 74 and is two under with Chase Koepka from the United States and Thailand’s Danthai Boonma.

Chacarra had the distinction of making an albatross on the par-five eighth, where he holed a five iron from 222 yard. It is the 29th albatross on the Asian Tour.

The action will resume with a shotgun start at 3.30pm local time.

Thick fog each day has caused numerous delays which has resulted in the organisers moving to a shotgun start in order to finish four rounds by tomorrow.

It is the first time there has been a shotgun start on The International Series but not on the Asian Tour. Last year’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters saw two shotguns starts at the weekend because of delays caused by Typhoon Krathon.

American Bryson DeChambeau is one under for the tournament having come in with a 72 on Friday.

Today’s halfway cut was made a eight over, four short of the highest ever recorded, which was at Acer Taiwan Open in 2002. Notable absentees from the next two rounds will be Americans John Catlin and Andy Ogletree, the past two winners of the Asian Tour Order of Merit.