SSP Chawraisa and Kapur. File pics
Jeju Island, Korea, August 18: Shiv Kapur and SSP Chawrasia gave themselves a solid start with 3-under 68 each that placed them in Tied-12th spot at the end of the first round of the fourth International Series event in Jeju Islands.
Four Indians, including veteran Jyoti Randhawa shot 1-under 70 each to be Tied-39th. The other three were Veer Ahlawat, who had a good outing last week in Singapore, Rashid Khan, the runner-up at Mandiri Indonesian Open and Viraj Madappa, a one-time winner on the Asian Tour.
Of the five other Indians in the field only Honey Baisoya (71) did not go over par. He was T-71. Gaganjeet Bhullar, Ajeetesh Sandhu and S Chikkarangappa were all T-89th with cards of 72, while Rahil Gangjee was further down at T-14th with 73.
Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert started in a sensational manner with seven birdies in a row before dropping a shot on eighth. He picked two more birdies on back nine for a card of 8-under 63.
Pavit, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, shot 63 on a day when preferred lies were in play at Lotte Skyhill Country Club Jeju. He was two shots clear of the Korean Eric Chun (65).
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, the 2019 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, South Africans Justin Harding and Ian Snyman, and Australia’s Brett Rumford all came in with 66s.
Pavit was still two strokes short of the most consecutive birdies on the Asian Tour. That record of nine is held by Austrian Bernd Wiesberger at the 2017 Maybank Championship and then preferred lies were not used.
Pavit admitted he hit just one just bad shot and that was eighth and he made a bogey. He made birdies on 11th and 16th on back nine and missed a few other chances.
Chun produced one of the finest tournament rounds of his 10-year professional career. Two birdies on the front nine and four on the back nine put him out in front for the first time in an Asian Tour event. A graduate of North-western University in the US, the Korean also spent much of childhood growing up in Malaysia.
