Shubhankar Sharma disappoints with 75, Fitzpatrick leads with 65 in Italy
India’s Shubhankar Sharma got off to a disappointing start with a card of four-over 75 in the opening round of the DS Automobiles Italian Open golf tournament.
It was a rough day right through for the Indian as he had no less than eight bogeys, four on either side of the course at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. Sharma had four birdies, three on the front nine and one on the back nine. Placed T-119, Sharma, who is 39th on the Race to Dubai standings, will need a low second round score to make the cut. Meanwhile, US Open Champion Matt Fitzpatrick posted a late birdie run to edge clear of his Ryder Cup teammate Rory McIlroy before fading light stopped play in the opening round.
Fitzpatrick picked up shots on the second and seventh holes on his front nine and then posted three consecutive birdies on the 11th, 12th and 13th holes to move to five under par, before being forced to stop his round on the 16th tee.
He is one shot clear of a group of eight players, including McIlroy, who recovered from a one-over par opening nine to come back in 30 shots and finish with a round of 67. McIlroy, who is making his first professional appearance in Italy, kickstarted his round with an eagle two on the third hole after holing out from 115 yards. He then picked up further shots on the fifth, eighth and ninth holes on the course, which will host the 2023 Ryder Cup in little over 12 months.
The four-time Major champion was among the morning players whose rounds were delayed an hour due to lightning, with Malaysia’s Gavin Green and Spain’s Adri Arnaus also joining him in the clubhouse on four under par. Scotland’s Scott Jamieson, France’s Antoine Rozner and Englishman Eddie Pepperell also carded rounds of 67 in the afternoon, with Spaniard Alvaro Quiros and Dutchman Joost Luiten also on four-under through 16 holes and 13 holes respectively.
European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald eagled the 12th hole and is in a share of 14th place on two-under par through 14 holes before play was suspended.
