GAVIN SURVIVES ROLLERCOASTER ROUND IN ENGLAND

Gritty Gavin survives rollercoaster round in Surrey

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian golfer Gavin Kyle Green (pic) showcased his “never-say-die-attitude” by grinding out an even-par 72 in the opening round of the BMW PGA Championship in Surrey, England.

The 24-year-old survived a rollercoaster day which included two eagles, three birdies, three bogeys and a quadruple bogey at the Wenworth Club on Thursday.

His effort left him in a tie for 58th in the 150man standings – seven shots off the lead held by Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard.

Gavin, playing his first full season on the European Tour and is ranked 82nd in the Race to Dubai, began his round on the back foot when he bogeyed the par-four third hole.

But he recovered strongly by gaining five strokes over the six-hole stretch starting from seventh, birdieing the seventh, ninth and 11th before capping his superb run with an eagle on the par-five 12th. All his hard work, however, was undone almost immediately.

Six strokes were given away in three consecutive holes starting from the 14th as he marked his scorecard with bogey-quadruple bogey-bogey. To Gavin’s credit, he was able to put the frustrating streak behind him and fought back bravely with another eagle at the last hole to remain in contention to qualify for the weekend.

Pace-setter Bjerregaard leads by one stroke over South African duo Dean Burmester and Darren Fichardt after firing a seven-under 65.

The BMW PGA Championship is the first of the eight marquee tournaments of the European Tour this season, which form the eight-event Rolex Series. Each event offers a minimum prize purse of US$7mil (RM27.89mil).

The other European top guns in the field this week are Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, England’s Paul Casey and Tommy Fleetwood and defending champion Alex Noren of Sweden.