Tommy Fleetwood of England plays his second shot on the 8th hole on day two of the DP World India Championship 2025 at Delhi Golf Club on October 17. (Getty Images) New Delhi: It was no spaghetti western but a masala mix. You could almost catch them in slo-mo. Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and Ben Griffin were walking down the 17th stretch in tandem, probably discussing their strategies to dodge the trees and tame the grainy greens. With their biggest weapon back in their lockers, the mid and long irons had to do. It was a visual treat to the ones following this feature group, and they duly obliged their fans with a flurry of birdies on the 18th.As usual, Delhi Golf Club served up the good, bad and ugly, and the Masters champ from the hills of Holywood near Belfast had his share of it. Rory was one-over after 12 holes, having missed some approach shots in the wrong spots. “I short sided myself a few times out there and gave myself some tricky looks to save par,” he said later about his three bogeys.But the World No. 2 regrouped with four birdies for his second consecutive 69 to give himself a fighting chance at 6-under. Norwegian Hovland, who had his first taste of jalebi on Thursday, did not suffer any ill-effects as his sweet hitting found the fairways in every hole although a few birdies were left hanging in his bogey-free 65. All-American boy Griffin went 68 to 8-under.Six shots off the lead, hero of the hour McIlroy was quietly contemplating his Saturday moves. “Same strategy. I think if I’m struggling to hit fairways with my 2-iron, I’m not going to hit it with my driver. Just have to hit it a little closer with my second shots and not miss as many putts and maybe I can claw my way back.”A Rory crowning will be the perfect Sunday happy ending to the unfolding A-list blockbuster. But someone by the name of Tommy, Friday’s golf-ball wizard, may have other ideas.The Merseysider, who now calls Dubai home, called it a test of patience as he went through the claustrophobic grind with blinders on. With the greens firming up in the heat, and trickier pins adding pressure, Fleetwood negotiated the hazards with 8 birdies, without a drop.His swing was in a better place after spending late Thursday afternoon in the range before the 5.30pm closing time. “The course can make you a little giddy and I wasn’t happy how I hit it towards the end yesterday. I got a decent sense of it and went ahead with the drills I always do to try to get myself back to where I give myself a chance of hitting good golf shots,” said the 34-year-old.Halfway through, two days to go. Fleetwood probably isn’t worried that this could well turn out be another near-miss. Before August’s soul-soothing season-ending Tour Championship victory with the FedEx Cup prize and a purse of $10 million, in his 164th try to win on the PGA Tour, Fleetwood had always kept a cheerful attitude.The Everton blue who turned up in away whites on the Delhi greens had often attributed his ability to reset to his emotional journey with the ‘Toffees’. “You just never know what’s going to happen. It definitely prepares you for a lot of things in life.”Call him the ‘People’s champion’ or the ‘Fairway Jesus’, Fleetwood always has a strong connection with people wherever he goes. “I’m very driven by the values that have been instilled in me as a kid, and I’ve been lucky. I’ve always believed that wherever I am, I’m just trying to work on the right things, try and continue to improve because that’s the most important thing,” he said.When he walks out mid-afternoon with former Open champions Brian Harman and Shane Lowry just a stroke behind him, all he can do is play his own game, hole by hole. “I’ll stay focused. There’s nothing else in my hands,” he said.
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