More proof that golf is a ridiculous game: Espen Koftsad of Norway followed an opening 81 with a second-round, course-record 62 in the Hero Indian Open in New Delhi on the DP World Tour.
Kofstad made nine birdies and an eagle against one bogey in the second round. That’s versus one birdie, five bogeys, a double bogey on a par 5 and a triple bogey on another par 5 in the first round.
The 19-shot swing between the two rounds propelled him to a 1-under total and inside the projected cutline at DLF Golf and Country Club. Koftsad already had booked flights home after the opening 81, assuming there was no chance he would play the weekend on the Gary Player-designed course. His 62 broke Shubhankar Sharma’s record of 64 on the par-72 layout.
"I changed my flights last night to go home tomorrow, so I'm going to have to change them again!" @EspenKofstad shot 19 shots less on Friday than he did Thursday 😲#HIO24 pic.twitter.com/Ans8LjjIoL
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) March 29, 2024
The 62 also was the lowest round by two shots on the DP World Tour for Kofstad, who turned pro in 2010 before a series of injuries derailed his career.
“Today was just unbelievable,” he told the DP World Tour after signing his card. “Everything came off and I’ve holed so many putts, I have no idea how many feet I’ve holed but it’s been quite the day. I’ve been working a lot on the range lately and I’m feeling like I’ve been coming back from injury and everything’s been feeling horrible for the longest time.
“The other day I felt like, ‘OK, I’m starting to move a little bit better,’ and then yesterday I just didn’t get used to what I was working on and everything went wrong. Then this morning on the range, I was just hitting balls and it felt really nice and then all of a sudden the birdies just started rolling in when I started playing.”
The second round of the Hero Indian Open was hit with storms and will be continued Saturday morning. Keita Nakajima of Japan held a one-shot lead at 14 under after completing consecutive 65s. Romain Langasque was in second place at 12 under after two rounds of 66, and Matteo Manassero of Italy was in third after completing rounds of 65-68 for an 11-under total.
