Jesper Sandborg reeled off a trio of birdies to set the target at the Delhi Challenge before being joined by four other players at the top of the leaderboard after the first day at Classic Golf & Country Club.
Sandborg, Jamie Rutherford, Quim Vidal, Udayan Mane all made the most of perfect morning conditions in Gurugram, before being joined by Angad Cheema late in the day, with each player signing for seven under par rounds of 65 to lead by one from American Davis Bryant and Frenchman Oihan Guillamoundeguy, who share sixth.
Sandborg, from Sweden, was the last man in the field this week, and fired nine birdies – including three in his final three holes – and two bogeys to set the early pace.
The 31-year-old, who secured a return to the HotelPlanner Tour for 2025 after promotion from the Nordic Golf League, was pleased to get off to a strong start.
“I started by missing a couple of short putts at the beginning but then began to roll some in,” Sandborg said. “I hit my driver well which gave me a lot of opportunities, so it was a good day.
“It’s easy when you get in this position to be a bit defensive but I’m just going to keep pushing tomorrow.
“I was first reserve yesterday, so I only just got into the field, so I’m happy that I’m playing. I’m looking forward to it tomorrow.”
Rutherford has enjoyed a fast start to the 2025 season and currently sits third in the Road to Mallorca Rankings after securing a maiden HotelPlanner Tour victory in the Cell C Cape Town Open last month.
The Englishman, who started his round on the tenth, made the turn one under par before adding four birdies and an eagle at the ninth – his last - to join the leaders.
“I played solid pretty much all day and then had a really good finish which obviously helps,” Rutherford said. “The conditions were perfect this morning too with not much breeze. It was gettable if you played well.
“I feel like my game’s been good for a while now. Last week, I was a little off it and didn’t play that great, so it’s nice to bounce back and shoot a good score today.
“I’m feeling very confident and hopefully I can stay near the top of the leaderboard.”
Vidal finished with four birdies in his closing four holes to catapult himself into a share of the lead on seven under.
The 25-year-old Spaniard shared the lead after the opening round of the Kolkata Challenge last week before eventually finishing in a tie for 37th.
Mane, from India, carded three birdies on the front nine before adding four more without a blemish on the back nine to add his name to those leading after 18 holes, and insists finding the fairway off the tee is crucial on the Jack Nicklaus designed course.
“I played well in Kolkata last week but the errant shots there were a lot more penal than they are here today,” he said. “This golf course is easy on the eye for the tee shots, and I drove it really well today.
“I hit most of the fairways and I was happy to see the driver behaving. I drove it the way I needed to, week-in week-out.”
Cheema was one of the late starters in Delhi, and after starting on the tenth, found himself two under par with seven holes to play.
The 35-year-old would add back-to-back gains on the second and third, before making three in a row from the seventh to catapult himself into a share of the lead.
Eight players share eighth on five under par, including Spaniard Albert Boneta, Italian Gregorio de Leo, German Tiger Christensen and Indian Honey Baisoya.
The second round of the Delhi Challenge gets under way tomorrow at 6:50am local time, with Sandborg teeing off alongside Frenchman Maxence Giboudot and Dutchman Vince van Veen at 11:35am.
