The opening round of the DP World India Championship 2026 took an unexpected turn on Thursday as lightning forced players off the course at the Delhi Golf Club. The inclement weather interrupted a closely contested round, as afternoon groups still await their turn to begin.

Only 24 groups had started their rounds before the hooters sounded, signaling everyone on the ground to take shelter. Lightning conditions suspended play at 11:04 a.m. IST. Shortly after, rain started pouring, with windy conditions and thunderstorms.

This was expected, as the India Meteorological Department had already warned about cloudy skies with moderate rain during the day. The weather forecast warned of thunderstorms, lightning, and winds of 40-50 km/h, gusting to 60 km/h, during the afternoon and evening.

However, our on-ground EssentiallySports team has confirmed the sky is clearing. Greenskeepers are on the ground to drain water from the fairways. Officials have said play will resume at 4:00 p.m. IST.

But plenty of things have happened already before and during the suspension.

While the players waited for an update, Justin Rose found a way to keep preparing off the course. The English golfer started his opening round in India at 7:05 a.m. alongside Min Woo Lee and Eugenio Chacarra. He shared a video of himself practicing in his hotel room, accompanied by the caption, “Hotel practice during the weather delay!!”

Rose’s post offered a glimpse into how players were adapting to an interruption that left their competitive schedules uncertain.

But the day had started much earlier, with Nathan Kimsey preparing for the opening tee shot under floodlights. The DP World Tour shared footage of his warm-up, captioning it, “A floodlit warm-up for Nathan Kimsey ahead of hitting the opening tee shot of the DP World India Championship.”

The video post shows that Kimsey’s practice session began at 5:50 a.m. IST, ahead of his scheduled 6:25 a.m. tee time alongside Filippo Celli and Ben Schmidt.

Although these videos shared the story before tee time and during the break, a few golfers were competing in the middle. And the current situation is that Tom McKibbin and Eugenio Chacarra share the lead at five under par. However, the difference is that the Spanish golfer was through 15 holes, while the Northern Irishman was through 16.

Close behind the co-leaders are Scott Jamieson, Thomas Detry, Robert MacIntyre, and Niklas Norgaard.

The defending champion, Tommy Fleetwood, was through 14 holes at three-under par, with five birdies and two bogeys. Rory McIlroy stands at two-under after 14 holes before lightning interrupted play.

This could significantly affect the Race to Dubai Rankings list. Speaking ahead of the event in Delhi, the Northern Irishman said he wanted to close the gap on Patrick Reed and get past Chacarra, who moved to No. 2 after his Open de España performance. While Reed is yet to start his first round, the Spanish professional is currently ahead of Rory McIlroy.

As for some hometown heroes, Indian golfer Om Prakash Chouhan is enjoying a promising start. He sits at three under through 13 holes and tied seventh in the same leaderboard snapshot.

Play is set to resume at 4:00 p.m., but the question is whether the remaining time will be enough to complete the round today.

Sunset in New Delhi is expected at approximately 5:51 p.m. IST. This leaves less than two hours of golf following the 4:00 p.m. start. That window could give players with only a handful of holes remaining an opportunity to finish their rounds. However, the afternoon wave, which didn’t even begin, doesn’t have a chance to complete their round in daylight.

A carryover into Friday remains possible, but tournament officials would need to confirm revised arrangements.

The DP World India Championship, running from October 15 to 18, is the event’s second edition. It carries a $4 million prize fund and also represents an important late-season opportunity for players to collect Race to Dubai points ahead of the Tour’s play-offs.

For now, the leaderboard remains packed, and golfers will be looking to resume play on a positive note. Water on the course and windy conditions will certainly influence the game. Those who have started will want to maintain their focus, while those yet to begin will try to adjust their game to the changing weather.