England’s Tommy Fleetwood showcased nerves of steel to claim the inaugural DP World India Championship at Delhi Golf Club, finishing 22-under to edge out Japan’s Keita Nakajima by two strokes on Sunday.
Fleetwood, who began the final round two shots off the lead, fired a superb seven-under 65, keeping his composure as New Zealander Daniel Hiller’s late surge threatened to disrupt proceedings. The Englishman finished on a total of 266, marking his eighth DP World Tour victory and his first in India.
The 30-year-old had previously played the 2016 Hero Indian Open and the 2012 Avantha Masters but never managed a title here. Celebrating his triumph, Fleetwood shared a personal inspiration behind his performance.
"Another win feels great," he told reporters. "We were at home last week and we were driving the buggy playing golf together and he just said randomly — 'Do you know what you've never done? You've never won a tournament and then I've been able to run onto the 18th green.' I had that written down all week. It was just another opportunity really."
Nakajima, who carded a three-under 69, finished second at 20-under 268. Shane Lowry (68), Alex Fitzpatrick (67), and Thriston Lawrence (65) completed the top-five leaderboard.
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Among Indians, Shiv Kapur posted the best finish, shooting a four-under 68 with five birdies and a bogey on the front nine to tie 32nd at nine-under. Anirban Lahiri signed for a one-under 71, Shubhankar Sharma carded 74 to share 56th at three-under, while Dhruv Sheoran returned an even-par 72 to tie 36th.
The final round was punctuated by Hiller’s early fireworks, as the Kiwi birdied seven holes on the front nine to reach 20-under. Fleetwood, however, remained patient, matching Hiller’s score by the 10th hole. The Delhi Golf Club’s back nine ultimately proved decisive: Hiller stumbled with a double bogey at the 14th, allowing Fleetwood to open a two-shot gap he maintained to the finish.
Reflecting on his approach, Fleetwood said, "I think everybody needs something to push them or to motivate them. Yeah, I apply myself in trying to achieve the best possible at all times, and there's plenty of times where things haven't gone my way, but the last two tournaments I've been in contention or won, so maybe things are starting to even out a little bit. I love working on my game. I love having all these experiences which help me sort of pass it down to my kids or to anybody that is interested in listening. I just want to give myself the best possible chance of playing well each and every week, so that goes from practice to how you think to how you are, and that's all I try and do."
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