Rabat, June 12 (IANS) It was a tale of contrasting nines for Gaganjeet Bhullar, who produced a 3-under 70 in the opening round of the US$2 million International Series Morocco. After looking set for a low number with four birdies in five holes of the latter half of the front nine for a 4-under 32, the IGPL star gave away three bogeys on the back nine for a 38.

The four-time IGPL winner, Bhullar, who is also the most successful Indian player in Asian Tour history with 11 wins, is now Tied-18th. He is the best among the 10 Indians playing this week at the par-73 Red Course of Royal Golf Dar Es Salam in Rabat.

Bhullar trails the Thai star Pavit Tangkamolprasert, the runner-up at the International Series Japan earlier this year, who shot 8-under 65. Pavit was two ahead of Travis Smyth (67), who was the winner in Japan. Smyth was tied for second position alongside Korean Younghan Song, who was bogey-free in his 67.

While Bhullar was T-18, the next best Indians were Karandeep Kochhar, Shaurya Bhattacharya, SSP Chawrasia, and Ajeetesh Sandhu, all of whom shot 1-under 72 each to be T-40. Anirban Lahiri, the only Indian on the LIV League, carded even par 73 and was T-60.

Rashid Khan (75) was T-108, Shubham Jaglan (76) was T-123, Aryan Roopa Anand (80) was T-152, and Udayan Mane (83) was T-155, and all of them will need very low second rounds to have a chance to stay on for the weekend.

Bhullar, whose last Asian Tour win came in the second half of 2023 in his favourite country, Indonesia, has played only three World Ranking events with a T-26 in Singapore as his best. He was T-27 at the AM Green IGPL Bharath Classic last week in Morocco, but at the Mazagan Beach Golf Resort.

Bhullar opened with four pars before finding his first birdie. He parred the sixth and then had a hat-trick of birdies to turn in 4-under. On the back, yet another gain on the 12th hole saw him rise to 5-under. Then came the downturn as he dropped shots on the 13th, 15th, and 17th. He closed with a consolation birdie to card 70.

Karandeep Kochhar rode a roller-coaster. He bogeyed his first three holes before finding his first par. Then he had a superb run of four birdies in four holes and parred the ninth to be 1-under at the turn. On the back nine, he bogeyed the 10th and birdied the 17th to stay at 1-under for the day.

Pavit started on the back nine of the course and made four birdies before the turn. He then made five pars on the trot, before scripting a superb finish of four straight birdies.

Smyth, who has won twice this year at The International Series Japan and on the PGA Tour of Australasia, has also played a couple of events on LIV Golf, standing in for an injured Paul Casey in Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC.

American Andy Ogletree, who has three International Series titles, showed a return to form with a storming finish that included an eagle-birdie finish in his five-under 68.

He was joined at 68 by Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, runner-up last week on the Japan Golf Tour, Thai Sadom Kaewkanjana, Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard, and American Grant Haefner. Defending champion Scott Vincent of Zimbabwe started with a three-under 70.

Among the various LIV Golf stars in the field, Bubba Watson shot a four-under 69, while Korea Golf Club’s Doyeob Mun was tied 18th with a 70. Sergio Garcia had a rough day with 74.

–IANS

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