German Marcel Siem, at 8-under 64, in lead after first round of Avantha Masters.
Rahil Gangjee kept ahead of bigger Indian names, his birdies on the last two holes helping card a creditable five-under par 67 for a joint third position on the opening day of the 1.5-million Euro Avantha Masters tournament.
Recent Asian Tour winners Gaganjeet Bhullar and Chinnaswamy Muniyappa also had creditable rounds of 69 each for tied 19th, while the famed trio of Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal parred the first round led by German Marcel Siem at 64.
“I am getting my game back. The plan is to play one shot at a time and to stay in the present. I was rusty last week in the Asian Tour International tournament (won by Bhullar) but I can feel the rust going now,” said 32-year-old Gangjee, who hails from Kolkata. Jeev, the top-ranked Asian player in the competition, was hopeful of a better show on the second day after being at joint 56th place.
“I missed a number of putts and did not do anything exceptional today. However, I know that a really good round tomorrow could very quickly change the scenario for me,” said Jeev about his chances in the championship, tri-sanctioned by the Asian Tour, European Tour and the Professional Golfers Tour of India (PGTI).
Other Indians to do well were Gurki Shergill and Ashok Kumar, who shot 70 each. Anirban Lahiri took a just stroke more, but Shiv Kapur went four-over despite managing a few birdies towards the end of his round.
Apart from leader Siem, other foreigners to find the going comfortable at the DLF Golf and Country Club included Chan Yin-Shin, Lam Chih Bing and Thaworn Wiratchant.
Siem, who returned birdies on the 12th, 17th and 18th holes in his opening back-nine, reached the turn in 33 strokes. He then carded a further three birdies, apart from an eagle, to be in quest for his second professional title win. “I can’t remember the last time I shot 64. It must have been three years ago, so I am pretty happy with that. It’s definitely my best round for a few years,” said the beaming German.
Leaderboard (Indians unless stated otherwise): Marcel Siem (Ger) 64, Chan Yin-Shin (Tpe) 65, Barry Lane (Eng), Andrew Dodt (Aus), Robert-Jan Derksen (Ned), John Parry (Eng), Thaworn Wiratchant (Tha), Lam Chih-Bing (Sin), Rahil Gangjee 67; Kwanchai Tannin (Hkg), Lin wen-Hong (Tpe), Terry Pilkadaris (Aus), Ben Leong (Mas), David Drysdale (Sco), Chapchai Nirat (Tha), Rick Kulacz, Richard Bland (Eng)
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