Hoylake (Liverpool), Jul 21 (PTI) India’s Shubhankar Sharma got off to a perfect start at the 151st Open as he put together a solid round of 3-under 68 to lie tied seventh at the challenging Royal Liverpool Golf Club here.
He shone in afternoon conditions when scoring became even more difficult.
Sharma, who had just one bogey against four birdies finished in near darkness and he was in one of the last three groups to finish the day. With the pace of play also being somewhat slow, Sharma needed more than five hours 15 minutes for the round.
Sharma, who is hoping to make the cut on Friday, when he turns 27, said, “The birthday bit can come later. As for golf, yes, really happy. We did some good preparations before this event, and even before this week when I was here three weeks ago.
“It was good to look at the course, have three rounds earlier before the event started. Really happy that all my work has kind of paid off. There’s still a long way to go in the event.
“But I played really solid. Very proud of the way I played. I was rarely out of position today, I was I was able to make pars, as well. And yeah, solid round.” Earlier in the day, South African amateur Christo Lamprecht, 22, who got into the year’s last Major by winning The (British) Amateur Championships at nearby Hillside Golf Club in Southport, set the clubhouse lead at 5-under 66 and he was joined by the 32-year-old Southport native Tommy Fleetwood.
With conditions becoming tougher in the second half of the day, Argentine Emiliano Grillo finished with five birdies on his second nine and ended the day birdie-birdie including a sensational one on the 18th to join the co-leaders at 5-under.
Three others, Antoine Rozner, who booked his place through the Final Qualifying event, was tied third alongside Spaniard Adrian Otaegui and American Brian Harman at 4-under 67.
Sharma, who has made the cut on both his previous starts at the Open and finished an identical T-51, added, “I am going to hold back the birthday celebrations even though my mother, sister, father and coach are here.
“There is some work to do and the second round will be a normal golf day, only it is a Major that I love.” Apart from four birdies, he had some excellent par saves.
“Two good saves – on the 10th, yes, and on the 16th, those two. 10th was good. I was trying to draw the 3-wood, which didn’t really draw so it went straight slightly right into the rough.
“I had a very long second shot into a par-4, which was brilliant on the green. That second shot was the star on that hole.
“The 16th again was brilliant. Laid up, had about 80 yards to the hole into the wind, hit a good sand wedge, pitched it past the hole, spun it back to about eight, ten feet, and made the putt. So yeah, happy.”
Source: PTI News
