Shubhankar starts with two-under 70
JOHANNESBURG: India’s Shubhankar Sharma failed to build on a superb start to finish at twounder 70 in the first round of the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player on the European Tour, here on Thursday.
Sharma, who finished tiedseventh in Turkish Airlines Open last week, was four-under after starting from the 10th. But Sharma gave away three bogeys and had just one more birdie on the front nine for a card of 70. He was lying tied-17th.
A top-10 finish at the Gary Player Country Club will get the talented Sharma into the DP World Tour Championship, the European Tour’s seasonender.
Louis Oosthuizen took the lead with a brilliant nine-under 65, while Thomas Detry shot 66. Guido Migliozzi turned in 30 to set a blistering pace but finished at 67 in third place.
South Africans, Ernie Els and Zander Lombard were tied fourth at 68.
Els got a rapturous reception as he went off in the first group of the day and soon had the crowd cheering even more.
Oosthuizen defied pain from a kidney stone and shot a record-equalling score that included nine birdies.
“At 3am this morning I didn’t think I was going to tee it up,” said Oosthuizen. “I was very uncomfortable but at 6, 7 o’clock it started getting better.”
Oosthuizen said that “it wasn’t that bad” while he was on the course, although he said he walked slowly between shots to minimise his discomfort.
“The swing is there, the putting is there, I’m just happy to play,” he said.
Detry started the tournament in 66th place on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai, outside the top 50 who will qualify for the Tour Championship in Dubai next week.
He had seven birdies in his round of 66, which was marred by a bogey six on the second hole, one of the easiest holes.