Charlotte, May 8 (IANS) Akshay Bhatia produced a confident and composed performance in the opening round of the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, finishing tied for 13th after posting a 3-under 68. Weather interruptions affected the first day’s play, but Bhatia managed to stay focused and deliver one of the cleaner rounds in the field.

Starting from the back nine, the Indian-American golfer kept his card spotless with no bogeys throughout the round. He picked up three birdies, showing excellent control with his approach shots and putting. Bhatia’s birdies came on the second, 15th, and 18th holes, helping him remain within touching distance of the leaders. His iron game stood out as one of the strongest aspects of his performance, with him ranking second in Greens in Regulation statistics after the opening day.

Fellow Indian-American Sahith Theegala was also in action and sat tied for 30th at 1-under par when play was suspended because of adverse weather conditions. Theegala had completed 15 holes and still had three left to finish his first round.

Theegala began positively with an early birdie on the third hole but lost momentum with back-to-back bogeys on the eighth and ninth. However, he recovered impressively on the back nine with birdies on the 10th and 12th holes before heavy rain forced officials to suspend play for the day.

Meanwhile, Sudarshan Yellamaraju carded an even-par 71 to be placed tied for 33rd. Beginning his round on the back nine, he mixed two birdies with two bogeys in a steady performance.

American golfer Matt McCarty emerged as the clubhouse leader after firing a sensational 8-under 63. His round featured nine birdies and just one bogey as he adapted brilliantly to the challenging conditions.

McCarty made a fast start on the back nine with five birdies before adding more gains on the front side. A brief setback with a bogey on the sixth hole did little to slow him down as he closed strongly with three consecutive birdies.

Sungjae Im was close behind at 7-under through 17 holes before play was halted. He had earlier raced through the opening stretch with five birdies in his first six holes.

Rory McIlroy returned to competition after a short break and posted a steady 1-under 70. The reigning Masters champion recorded 17 straight pars before finally birdieing his last hole to move into a tie for 30th place.

Matt Fitzpatrick struggled with a 3-over 74, while his brother Alex Fitzpatrick impressed with a 67 that placed him inside the top 10. Cameron Young and Tommy Fleetwood also stayed in contention after strong opening rounds despite the weather disruptions.

–IANS

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