Mathieu Wood
With course strategy a main talking point this week at the DP World India Championship, we have teamed up with SMS on Tour – specialist equipment experts – to take you inside the ropes and see how players are taking on Delhi Golf Club.
Four of the world’s top 15 players have assembled in a strong international field in India, headlined by Rory McIlroy, as the DP World Tour returns to the historic venue for the first time since 2016.
The Lodhi championship course measures 6,912 yards – the fifth shortest this season on the Race to Dubai schedule – and features narrow fairways, meaning accuracy, and not distance, is at a premium.
Which courses have been shorter this season on the DP World Tour?
| Venue | Event | Yardage |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria GC | ISPS HANDA Australian Open | 6,887 (Par 71) |
| Durban CC | Investec South African Open Championship | 6,780 (Par 72) |
| Argentario GC | Italian Open | 6,780 (Par 70) |
| Crans-sur-Sierre GC | Omega European Masters | 6,814 (Par 70) |
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But how has that translated to the make-up of players’ bags?
Well, in perhaps the most eye-catching statistic, 58 out of the 138-player field (42%) have opted to not use a driver this week.
That number includes grand slam winner McIlroy, widely considered one of the best drivers in golf, stating that the risk is not worth the reward.
Among other high-profile players also to not be carrying the ‘big dog’ are his Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood and Viktor Hovland, along with two-time PGA TOUR winner Ben Griffin, who was last in action at Bethpage last month.
In fact, of the five players teeing it up this week who featured at the Ryder Cup stateside, only first-round leader Shane Lowry opted to keep his driver in play.
That all may leave you wondering, ‘why haven’t more?’
However, the Irishman – rarely someone who changes their set-up and considered a moderate hitter off the tee - has said he only plans to use it twice a round.
How the 2025 Ryder Cuppers set up their bag
• McIlroy - Dropped his driver and three wood. Top of his bag was a two iron set at 16 degrees, five wood at 17 degrees and three iron at 20 degrees
• Fleetwood - Compared to his last event at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, he dropped his driver and 18-degree utility iron, and added a nine wood and extra wedge
• Hovland - Dropped his driver for a hybrid. The top of his bag is a 15-degree three wood, 20-degree hybrid and a three utility iron
• Griffin - Dropped his driver for a utility two iron. The top of his bag was 15-degree three wood, two utility iron and 21-degree seven wood
• Lowry - His set-up remains driver, 18-degree five wood and 20-degree utility iron
Won’t be many drivers hit this week 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/UFQLbWGQXI
— Shane Lowry (@ShaneLowryGolf) October 15, 2025
What are players turning to instead of the driver?
Prior to this week, only five players had played without a driver so far this season on the DP World Tour, highlighting just how rare it is for the longest club to be left out of the bag.
In the last couple of seasons, there has been a growing emergence of players using a mini driver but that is predominantly as a replacement for a three wood rather than the driver.
But such is the resistance among players to carry big-headed clubs, only 16% of the field are carrying a mini driver.
This is less than the average of 17% across the previous ten DP World Tour events this season.
So, for the players dropping driver this week, their preferred substitute is a utility iron – considered a more forgiving club.
When analysing the club data from this week to the Hero Indian Open – held earlier this season at DLF Golf and Country Club – and the recent BMW PGA Championship, there are learnings to be made.
Equipment Statistics: Average number of clubs per player by type or percentage of players carrying a single club
| Equipment Category | DP World India Championship | Hero Indian Open | BMW PGA Championship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | 58% | 100% | 100% |
| Fairway Woods | 1.46 | 1.41 | 1.61 |
| Hybrids | 0.33 | 0.35 | 0.25 |
| Utility Irons | 0.64 | 0.28 | 0.30 |
| Three Irons | 18% | 18% | 17% |
| Wedges | 3.88 | 3.88 | 3.83 |
While on the face of it, the statistics appear similar between this year’s two India-based events, there were notably fewer utility irons in play at India’s national open.
With the softer conditions over the West Course at Wentworth Club, another event to feature a 138-player field, there were a higher number of fairway woods in play.
How a player’s strategy affected their scoring
Of the top 16 on the leaderboard at the end of the first round, six did not carry a driver, equating to 38%.
Among those who has kept the driver in the bag though is Thriston Lawrence, who has spoken of his intent to attack the course by using driver six or seven times.
After an opening three-under-par 69, the South African followed it with a 67 on Friday to sit four shots adrift of second-round clubhouse leader Fleetwood.
When diving into the bag of Keita Nakajima and Casey Jarvis specifically, both of whom got off to fast starts with rounds of 65 and 66 respectively, they had differing strategies at their top of their bag.
Nakajima – a champion last year on the DP World Tour at the Hero Indian Open – dropped driver, three wood and five wood, instead adding a four wood, 20-degree hybrid and three iron.
Jarvis had a mini driver as his biggest club, followed by a four wood and a seven wood along with a four iron.
In complete contrast, Tapio Pulkkanen is not carrying a single wood in his bag, with the Finn projected to miss the cut after back-to-back rounds of level-par 72.
