Jeev is 8th, Jyoti risks missing cut
Sutton Coldfield (England), Sept. 26: Jeev Milkha Singh brought home a sedate card of three-under 69 to grab the eighth place along with six others, even as compatriot Jyoti Randhawa risked missing the cut after the opening round of the British Masters golf tournament here on Thursday.
Australia’s Marcus Fraser was the joint leader after the first round as he battled to keep his tour card on a day Colin Montgomerie would rather forget. Fraser posted a five-under par 67, a score only equalled later in the day by Sweden’s Mikael Lundberg.
Fraser’s total left him one shot ahead of defending champion Lee Westwood, playing here just a few days after being a member of the European team that lost the Ryder Cup to the United States in Kentucky.
The Chandigarh golfer’s two birdies at the first and third hole were negated by two bogeys in the second and seventh as he took the turn at even par after the front nine.
On resumption, Jeev fired a couple of birdies at the 10th and 12th before picking up a birdie brace at the 16th and 17th. But a bogey in the last hole dashed his hopes of coming up with a better finish.
Compatriot Shiv Kapur had a mediocre day in office as both birdies and bogeys flew from his club and the Delhi-lad had to settle for tied 40th with a card of even-par 72.
Kapur picked up a birdie brace at the second and third before stumbling on the fourth and sixth. He then birdied the eighth and 12th but undid the good work, dropping bogeys at the 15th and 18th hole.
In the midst, Randhawa hit a low and carded a three-over 75 to languish at tied 87th. The Indian had a nightmarish day at the greens as he stumbled on a bogey hat-trick between fourth to sixth and a double bogey brace at the 10th and 11th and had it not been for the birdies at the third, 13th, 15th and 17th, he would have finished much lower.
— Agencies