Belek (Turkey), May 1 (IANS) Yuvraj Sandhu made an impressive start to his campaign at the Turkish Open in Antalya, delivering one of his strongest opening rounds on the DP World Tour. The debutant carded a 3-under 69, placing him comfortably inside the top 10 after the first day.

Fellow Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma also performed steadily, returning a 2-under 70 to sit in a tie for the 22nd position.

Sweden’s Mikael Lindberg emerged as the early leader with a flawless, bogey-free round of 66, giving him a one-shot advantage. Although he began his back nine at just one under par, Lindberg surged ahead with an impressive late run, collecting four birdies over his final six holes to climb to six under at the National Golf Club.

Sandhu’s round had its ups and downs. Starting on the 10th hole, he began positively with a birdie on the 12th but faltered briefly with consecutive bogeys on the 13th and 14th, turning in one over par. However, he showed resilience on his second nine, firing four birdies on the first, fourth, fifth, and eighth holes to finish strongly at three under.

Sharma’s round featured a mix of highlights and setbacks, including three birdies, an eagle, and three bogeys. Meanwhile, Lindberg’s momentum built steadily after his first birdie on the 18th, followed by gains on key holes, including the par-five first and fourth, before finishing with two more birdies to secure the lead.

Lindberg entered the tournament in strong form, having secured a career-best third-place finish at the Volvo China Open, which elevated him to eighth in the Asian Swing Rankings. He is now aiming to finish among the top three to qualify for the upcoming U.S. PGA Championship, adding further significance to his strong start.

–IANS

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