New Delhi: Delhi Golf Club is a tough track at the best of times. However, Shamim Khan took full advantage of local conditions to grab the opening round lead with a stupendous eight-under-64 at the Rs 1 crore BILT Open 2012. Rashid Khan, another Delhi golfer, was in second place, one stroke behind the leader.
A two-time winner on PGTI Tour this season, Shamim entered playing solid golf - mixing seven birdies with a bogey and an eagle. After dropping a shot on the par-4 fourth hole, the 34-year-old went on a roll with four straight birdies on the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth. He then added another birdie to his card with a chip-in on the 10th followed by a 25-feet eagle putt on the 14th and birdies on 16th and 18th to close the day at 64.
"Ball striking was the key today. You've got to keep a much bigger premium of hitting it on the fairway here.I hit a lot of good shots and made a couple of good putts from close to 25 feet,"said Shamim who hit 13 greens in regulations while totaling 26 putts.
"I’ve recently had problems with short putts. I have been working on my wrist movement and I'm beginning to get some confidence back with the putter, so it was nice to get out of today with a hot start."
Rashid Khan, another DGC-based professional, excelled on day one. Rashid’s round of 65 featured an eagle and five birdies. The 21-year-old, who has a title to his credit in the 2012 PGTI season, sank an eagle from 10 feet on the par-5 eighth and knocked-in a 40-footer for birdie on the second.
“I did well on the par-5s today as I picked up four strokes on the 18th, first and eighth. My short-game has been quite sharp over the last few weeks and today I even hit it well as I made 15 greens in regulation. I holed more putts on the second nine. It’s my home course so I’m pretty confident of performing well,” said Rashid.
Md Islam of Patna was in third place with a score of 67, while leader Shamim’s elder brother Gulfam occupied joint fourth place at 68 along with Arshpreet Thind of the Golden Greens Golf & Country Club.
Tournament favourite Jyoti Randhawa occupies tied sixth position at three-under-69 along with Delhi’s Manav Jaini, Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad, Kolkata golfers Ranjit Singh Rathore and Shankar Das, Chandigarh’s Randhir Singh Ghotra and Rajesh Kumar Rawat of Lucknow. Rajesh Kumar Rawat made a hole-in-one on the 17th.
Manoj Kumar of Lucknow also made a hole-in-one on the 17th in his round of 75 that placed him tied 63rd.
By Tilak Malviya
Indian Sports News
