Three shots back of leader Shane Lowry after Thursday’s first round of the DP World India Championship is perhaps one of the most unlikely of competitors.
Rahil Gangjee, a 47-year-old from Calcutta, India, eagled the par-5 18th hole at Delhi Golf Club, rolling in a 60-footer from just off the green, to cap a 5-under 67, his best round on the DP World Tour since he fired 66 in the third round of the 2016 Hero Indian Open.
Gangjee, who played his final five holes in 4 under on Thursday, has now teed it up 26 times worldwide this year, mostly on the Asian Tour, Asian Development Tour and Pro Golf Tour of India. But this is just his second DPWT start in over five years. His last made cut on the DPWT was the 2019 Indian Open. In all, Gangjee has made 78 career starts on the DPWT while posting five top-10 finishes.
He’s currently ranked just inside the top 1,000 in the Official World Golf Ranking, at No. 946. He’d missed six of his last seven cuts before posting a T-3 last week at his home Bengaluru Open on the PGTI.
“I’ve only played this place a thousand times, so I’m not shocked the way I played,†Gangjee said. “But having seen my results in the last eight months, I wasn’t expecting it. Made some changes to my putting stroke, my putting grip. So I’m glad it’s working out. That’s all I can say.â€
Gangjee was born in Calcutta in 1978 and lived three doors down from his inspiration, Arjun Atwal. As a kid, he participated in swimming, hockey, track, horseback riding and choir, along with golf. As an amateur, he won three East India Amateurs and the 1997 Sri Lankan Amateur, and he attended Bhawanipur Education Society College before turning pro in 2001. That year, he earned his first card by finishing runner-up at PGTI Q-School.
He spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons on the Korn Ferry Tour, then called the Nationwide Tour, and totaled five top-25s. His highlight came at the 2011 Mylan Classic, where he aced a 316-yard par-4. He’s made just one PGA Tour start to date, at the 2018 CIMB Classic, where he was T-75.
Gangjee’s eight world-ranked wins include two on the ADT last year.
“Last year and this year has been totally different to each other,†Gangjee added. “I think I’ve just been really tired, not being mentally and physically present. But heading into this week, like I said, all I want to do is just have some fun, hit some shots the way I know how to hit shots, and I don’t really care – I’m saying it – but I don’t really care how this week works out. I want to just have some fun playing golf for once.â€
