The DP World India Championship field is packed with reigning major champions, past major winners, and many elite international golfers. But Delhi Golf Club is very different from the courses these stars are used to. It is a shorter course, where many players, including Rory McIlroy, Ryan Fox, Min Woo Lee, and others, decided to leave the driver in the bag. The leaderboard also shows the challenge Delhi Golf Club presents. On one side, some golfers reached 9 and 10-under in just two rounds. On the other side, many were more than 10-over par after the first two rounds.

This challenge has cost many professionals their spot at the DP World India Championship 2026.

Ryan Fox

Fox entered the championship as one of its biggest names. He admitted that expectations increased significantly after he won the 2026 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in July. Ranked No. 22 in the world, the New Zealander arrived in Delhi with five DP World Tour victories and a major title to his name.

However, his opening 76 left him with little room for error. The round included four birdies, six bogeys, and a double bogey at the par-four 15th, where he took six strokes. His driving and putting accuracy were especially poor during the opening round.

With a 33-putt average, he was well above the round average of 29.3. He ranked 135th in the field in putts average. His driving accuracy was just 50, below the round average of 59.

Fox responded with a two-under-par 70 on Friday, making four birdies against two bogeys. However, his repeated struggles at the par-4 11th and the par-3 17th proved costly despite the two-under 70. He had a good chance to birdie the par-5 14th and 18th, but he missed four-foot putts on both. On the 14th, he even got frustrated and threw his golf ball away in anger.

Before the tournament, Fox said he removed his driver from his bag because the course emphasized accuracy and strategic positioning. His equipment decision showed awareness of the challenges ahead, but it couldn’t prevent an early exit.

Elvis Smylie

Elvis Smylie also finished at two-over-par 146 after surrendering the advantage of an opening-round 71. The Australian had started under par but returned a three-over 75 in the second round, including two birdies, three bogeys, and a double bogey.

His second round deteriorated around several key holes. Consecutive bogeys at the eighth and ninth were followed by another dropped shot at the 13th, before a double bogey at the 16th added to the damage. A birdie at the 18th offered some relief, but it was insufficient to bring him back into contention for the weekend.

For Smylie, the contrast between his two rounds was particularly stark. He established a promising position on Thursday but couldn’t maintain it as the pressure increased.

Pablo Larrazábal

Pablo Larrazábal finished similarly frustrated, carding rounds of 73 and 74 for a three-over total of 147. The nine-time DP World Tour winner made five birdies in his second round, suggesting he had enough quality to mount a challenge.

However, three bogeys and two double bogeys undermined that progress. He finished the front nine at 33, but a 41 on the back nine pushed him further from the cut line. Double bogeys at the par-five 14th and par-four 16th cost him four shots, leaving the Spaniard unable to capitalize on his birdies.

Shubhankar Sharma

Shubhankar Sharma’s missed cut disappointed the home crowd, especially after a recent domestic victory had offered encouragement ahead of the championship.

The Indian followed an opening 76 with an even-par 72 to finish at 148, four over par. His second round included an eagle at the par-four third and four birdies, but a triple-bogey eight at the par-five 18th overshadowed those gains.

The 18th proved particularly damaging across both days. Sharma took seven strokes there in the first round and eight in the second, finishing five over par on the hole alone. Across the other 34 holes, he was one under par.

That contrast captured the frustration of his week. Sharma found chances to make up ground, but one hole repeatedly erased his progress elsewhere.

The result also came at a difficult point in his season. Sharma had missed consecutive cuts on the DP World Tour before arriving in Delhi and ranked 182nd in the Race to Dubai standings ahead of the event. With his 2027 playing privileges still in question, a strong home performance would have provided a valuable boost.

Kartik Singh

Sixteen-year-old Kartik Singh, the youngest player in the field, finished at eight-over-par 152 after posting identical rounds of 76. His opening card included two birdies and two double bogeys, while the second featured one birdie and five bogeys, with no double bogeys.

The matching totals concealed a change in his scoring pattern. Singh eliminated the double bogeys in round two but struggled to avoid smaller mistakes. He nevertheless closed his second round with pars on holes 14 through 18, ending his week on a positive note.

Singh earned his place through a top-24 finish in the Race to India Championship standings and had already recorded two top-10 finishes in his first PGTI season.

Subash Tamang

Tamang became the first Nepali player to compete on the DP World Tour. He represented the 120th nation on the circuit since its establishment in 1972.

However, Subash Tamang also missed the cut, finishing six-over-par 150. But his final round offered one of the week’s more encouraging recoveries. The Nepali golfer improved from an opening 80 to a two-under 70, matching Fox for the lowest second-round score among the six players in this article.

Tamang’s comeback came from an impressive seven birdies in round two, despite two double bogeys and another bogey. He improved by 10 shots on the front nine, moving from 44 to 34.

Before the championship, Tamang described representing his country as an exciting opportunity and outlined his ambition to progress from the PGTI to the Asian Tour, DP World Tour, and eventually the PGA Tour. Although his debut ended before the weekend, his seven-birdie response left a memorable mark on a historic appearance.

The six players finished between two and eight shots outside the qualifying mark, with the cut falling at even-par 144. But many elites made it to the weekend. Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Robert MacIntyre, Eugenio Chacarra, and many others are still out there. While names like Ryan Fox and Elvis Smylie will be missed, there’s plenty of action left as the others fight to claim the biggest chunk of the $4 million purse.