Forso (Denmark), Jul 7 (PTI) Manu Gandas, the lone Indian this week at the Made in HimmerLand golf tournament, picked up two late birdies to manage a two-over 72 at the par-70 Himmerland course here.
Playing his rookie season on the DP World Tour, Gandas was four over after 13 holes but did well to birdie the 16th and 17th holes to lie tied 52nd after the opening day.
Overall he had three birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey, which came at the second hole. Gandas was tied 52nd.
Scotsman Robert MacIntyre turned on the heat on the back nine with five birdies between the 11th and the 17th to open a two-stroke lead after the opening round which he played in the afternoon, when the sun had come out after a windy morning.
Taking advantage of the slightly calmer conditions, he posted an opening six under par round of 64.
Starting from the first nine, Gandas double bogeyed the second hole but birdied the seventh to turn in one-over. He then dropped shots on 10th, 11th and 13th and was four-over with five holes to go.
He fought back well to pick up birdies on the 16th and the 17th to close with a less painful 72.
The two-time DP World Tour winner, MacIntyre mixed three birdies with a single bogey on the front nine, before giving another shot back at the par three tenth. MacIntyre’s back-nine birdie blitz came on 11-12th and then 14th-15th and the 17th.
England’s Ross Fisher was second with 66, while three players Germany’s Nick Bachem, Daan Huizing of the Netherlands, and USA’s Johannes Veerman carded 3-under 67 each.
Source: PTI News
