Derksen retains lead in Avantha Masters

Robert-Jan Derksen remained unchallenged at the top of the Avantha Masters leaderboard after the first round was completed this morning.

The Dutchman had set the pace in New Delhi with a bogey-free, six-under-par round of 66 yesterday but a three-and-a-half-hour delay due to fog meant that his place at the top could have been under threat with some of the field having to return to the course early today to complete their rounds.

Darren Beck had looked the most likely to mount a challenge with the Australian returning one shot behind Derksen on five under with five holes left to play.

He bogeyed the fifth – his 14th hole – but recovered with birdies on sixth and eighth to briefly move into a share of the lead before again dropping a shot on the last to finish with a 67 and join England’s Mark Foster, Julio Zapata of Argentina and Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello in a share of second place.

Other movers this morning were Joost Luiten of Holland, who climbed into a share of third place with six others after carding a bogey-free four under 68, while Scotland’s Marc Warren shot three successive birdies from the 16th to return to the clubhouse with a 69 and is three shots behind Derksen.

Australian Andrew Dodt will need to improve if he is to stage a successful defence of the trophy he won last year after mixing three birdies with two bogeys for a one under 71.