Sentosa, Jan 20 (Golf News) Shiv Kapur and Viraj Madappa were the only Indians to shoot even par 71 even as others were either over or yet to complete the first round of the Singapore Open here on Thursday.

Besides Kapur and Madappa, Rashid Khan (72), S Chikkarangappa (73) and Abhijit Chadha (76) were the others to finish their 18 holes.

Veer Ahlawat was alone among others to be one-under through 12 holes, while Aman Raj and Jyoti Randhawa were even after 14 and SSP Chawrasia, Khalin Joshi and Karandeep Kochhar were two-over and Jeev Milkha Singh was 10-over through 15 holes.

Play was abandoned for the day at 5.51pm due to poor weather (lightning and rain), with 52 players due to resume their opening rounds at 7.30am on Friday.

Korean Taehoon Ok sensationally eagled the two par fives on the front nine of the tough Serapong Course to take the clubhouse lead along with Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai on the opening day of the USD 1.25 million event at the Sentosa Golf Club.

Ok and Suradit fired five-under 66s in the final event of the season on the Asian Tour to grab a one-stroke lead over Korean Sihwan Kim, Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, and Justin De Los Santos from the Philippines, who returned 67s.

Koreans Joohyung Kim – the current leader of the Asian Tour Order of Merit and winner of last week’s The Singapore International – and Dongkyu Jang came in with 68s, in a group of players consisting of Thailand’s 14-year-old wonderkid Ratchanon Chantananuwat, Tirawat Kaewsiribandit, and Kosuke Hamamoto and Singapore’s Jesse Yap.

Little-known Ok hit a rescue to 20 feet for his eagle on the fourth and on the par-five seventh nailed a three wood to 15 feet and holed out. He also made three birdies, including one on 18, and two bogeys.

Paul Casey, playing in his first event after the end of season break, returned a 76. 

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News Source : PTI