Royal Troon (Scotland), Jul 18 (PTI) Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma opened his campaign at the 152nd Open with a disastrous five-over 76, battling through a steady drizzle and windy conditions, to be tied 101st here.

The performance will make his task of celebrating his 28th birthday with a final round at Royal Troon rather difficult.

Two birdies against seven bogeys meant he was way behind among the 156 starters. Yet, he was ahead of the likes of World No. 2 Rory McIlroy at seven-over 78 and World No. 11 Indian-American Sahith Theegala at six-over 77.

The reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau was saved by a late eagle as he shot a five-over.

The first day saw American Justin Thomas take the early lead at three-under. Thomas went four-under by the 10th hole but then dropped to one-under with a double bogey on 12th followed by a bogey on 13th.

He rose back with birdies on the 17th and 18th and in all he had seven birdies, one of the highest in the day.

Thomas, a two-time Major champion, has five top-10s in 15 starts this year but his last win came more than two years ago and that was his second Major, at the 2022 PGA Championships.

Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open winner, was three-under with back-to-back birdies adding to the one he holed earlier on the fourth. He was bogey free through the front nine.

Sharma, who finished tied-8th at Royal Liverpool last year, had early bogeys on the second and third and it included a three-putt on the third.

Another bogey on the par-three fifth meant he was three-over before getting his first birdie on par-five sixth. On the seventh, he went into the greenside bunker and came out with a bogey.

On the back nine, Sharma bogeyed three times in the windy conditions and a steady drizzle but closed with a consolation final birdie on 18th. He will need a low round to make the cut.

Three players reached four-under at some stage and then dropped to at least one-under. They were Thomas, Matt Wallace and Younghan Song of Korea.

Wallace and Song recorded triple-bogeys and Thomas dropped three shots in two holes. Thomas did manage to get back with a birdie-birdie finish, but Wallace finished at one-under and Song at even par.

Justin Rose played steady with birdies on the third and the seventh and 16 pars for a bogey free two-under.

Alex Noren, Nicolas Hojgaard and Russell Henley also shot two-under. Australia’s Adam Scott, playing his 24th consecutive Open, shot 70 and was among those tied at 12th.

Source: PTI News