FIJI, PACIFIC ISLANDS – AUGUST 5: 2018 Fiji International Golf, PGA Australia on Tuesday, August 5th 2018 at The Intercontinental Gold Club, Fiji. (Photo by Daniel Carson/ PGA)
Doha, Qatar, March 12: Gaganjeet Bhullar had his best start on the European Tour in a long time as he started with 4-under 67 in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. Bhullar, winner of the Fiji Open in 2018, was Tied-10th after the first round, which was incomplete on Thursday night.
The other Indians in the field, SSP Chawrasia (70) and Shubhankar Sharma (71) had mixed luck and were lying T-57 and T-68 after the first 18 holes.
Scotland’s David Law carded the joint-lowest round of his European Tour career to take the lead. The 29-year-old signed for a 7-under 64 holding a one stroke lead after a bogey-free first round. Law was one stroke ahead of Italy’s Nino Bertasio, Hennie Du Plessis of South Africa, England’s Richard McEvoy and Kalle Samooja of Finland.
Bhullar, who won the Tour Championship on the Indian PGTI Tour in December, started on the 10th and had a modest first nine with one birdie against two bogeys, but he had five birdies on the second nine, the front side of the Education City Golf Club, which affords excellent views of one of the spectacular stadiums, which will host some matches in the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The last time Bhullar had a 67 to start with was at the Open de Espana in October 2019, but missed the cut after a 78 in the second. At the Italian Open in October 2020 he opened with 68-69, but shot 72-72 over the weekend to finish T-55.
Chawrasia, coming off two Top-5 finishes in India on the domestic Indian PGTI Tour, had three birdies in the space of four holes between 12th and 15th and two other bogeys in his 1-under 70.
Sharma started on 10th and had three birdies in first five holes before the birdies seemed to have run out as he bogeyed four times and had only one more birdie to finish even par.
Belgium’s Thomas Detry shared sixth place with European Tour winners Joachim B. Hansen, Garrick Higgo and Joakim Lagergren on five under par, while Jorge Campillo began his title defence with a four under par round of 67.
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