Ajeetesh Sandhu is three-under-69, Shubhankar Sharma languishing at tied 80th
The first round of the Hero Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club on Thursday laid bare that low-scoring may be just as tricky as feared some of the players in the buildup to the tournament.
Despite conditions staying relatively favourable, with little wind and blazing sun, only 29 players would end the day with an under-par score, with Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts, Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult and Britain’s Marcus Armitage sharing the lead after shooting a four-under 68.
Among those 29 players were only two Indians on a day that the home challenge seemed to be on its knees. Chandigarh-based Ajeetesh Sandhu, 36, held the lead on Thursday shortly before a bogey on the 17th hole saw him finish with an impressive three-under 69. He ended the day tied-fourth. Last year’s runner-up Veer Ahlawat ended the opening round tied-10th after finishing two-under par.
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The course at the DLF G&CC has a reputation for being among the toughest on the DP World Tour, but last year, it saw plenty of aggressive golf and low scores. Gurugram-based Ahlawat, playing on his home course, was one of the gainers of the field which allowed him to finish the four rounds with a cumulative score of 13 under par.
His experience on Thursday suggests that the same kind of score is unlikely again this year with the course returning to its roots. “The course setup is slightly different from last year. It’s playing slightly firmer and a few of the flags are a little tucked in. It’s tough to hit them, especially if you’re not there in the right spot on the fairway,” he said.
Colsaerts too, after a field-leading round, sounded out a warning to his competition. “It’s a little bit like a mini US Open. It’s a really hard course. The rough is high this year, the greens are firmer,” he said.
Familiarity with the conditions did not seem to give any breathing room either, as the local players showed. 25 of the 30 Indians in the field failed to make it into the top 50 on a tough scoring day.Story continues below this ad
Five of them ended on an even par, a few among them being some feel-good stories of old. Shiv Kapur, 43, and two-time former champion SSP Chawrasia – both playing this tournament due to special invitations – showed the value of their collective wealth of experience. Shiv kept unnecessary makes at bay, failing to drop a shot until the 11th hole and following up his slips ups with birdies on the 13th and 18th holes.
Chawrasia, on the other hand, had started woefully. He was three-over par the eighth hole before turning aggressive and hitting five birdies and two bogeys to finish even par, tied 30th alongside compatriots Shiv, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Om Prakash Chouhan and Thomas Rayhan.
Shubhankar Sharma, India’s top-ranked golfer, struggled on the day, finishing tied 80th with a three-over 75.
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