Wishaw (England), Aug 30 – Indian golfers Shubhankar Sharma and Om Prakash Chouhan both carded rounds of 1-under 71 to tie for 30th place after the opening round of the Betfred British Masters.
In their rounds, Sharma and Chouhan each recorded three birdies and two bogeys, demonstrating solid but inconsistent performances on a challenging course.
The early lead was claimed by England’s Paul Waring and Frenchman Jeong Weon Ko. Waring surged into contention with a remarkable back nine, shooting five under par and finishing with a round of 67. He started with a birdie and a bogey on the front nine but came alive on the back nine, reeling off four consecutive birdies to take a share of the lead.
Ko also posted a level-par front nine before catching fire on the back, ending the round tied with Waring for the top spot.
South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence and Spain’s Jorge Campillo are one stroke behind in a tie for third place at 4-under par. They lead a group of 12 players tied for fifth, which includes English golfers Laurie Canter, Tyrrell Hatton, Jordan Smith, and Andrew Wilson.
Adding to the excitement of the tournament, English golfer Todd Clements celebrated his 28th birthday by recording the first hole-in-one of the week on the par-three seventh hole.
As the tournament progresses, Sharma and Chouhan will look to improve their standings and make a strong push in the subsequent rounds.
