Randhawa shines as Els struggles at Indian Masters

NEW DELHI, February 7: "Delhi Golf Club, what can I say, it doesn't leave me alone. It keeps me under pressure all the time. Yeah, I played well," said a pleased Jyoti Randhawa after finishing the first round atop the leaderboard on Thursday in the inaugural European Tour event, the $2.5 million Indian Masters.
This is truly a happy hunting ground for Randhawa.He carded a sizzling 7-under 65. India's top golfer, currently ranked 85th in the world, played a flawless round. Randhawa delighted the audience as he made three birdies; on the 3rd, 6th and 12th. He eagled the 14th and repeated the act on the 18th.
"With the new bunker (on the 18th fairway), it becomes a very narrow hole because you really can't hit your driver, because if you hit it a little right, it's going to go in the bush. And I saw Mark (O'Meara) and Adam (Groom) hit the ball to the right and I thought it's better to lay up short, and I did that," explained Randhawa.
"I laid up with a 3-wood, hit another 3-wood, hit a perfect second 3-wood to about 15, 20 feet, and luckily Mark was putting before me so I saw the line. I knew it was going to break right-to-left, and after seeing his ball, I knew exactly how it was going to break," added Randhawa.
Damien McGrane, tied second with England's Richard Finch, was two shots behind the Indian at 67. With two bogeys coming on the 2nd and 10th holes on a demanding course, the Irish made seven birdies on his way.
"It's a fairly demanding course and after three weeks in the desert. It's a complete contrast really on the greens, as well, and you have to play it well out there and you have to hit a lot of straight shots. Luckily for me today, I hit the straight shot and plenty of fairways and holed a few putts," said McGrane.
Youngster Shiv Kapur too kept the Indian hopes alive as he carded a 68 to be tied fourth with Thomas Bjorn of Denmark and Jose Manual Lara of Spain.
"It was a pretty scratchy round. I managed to pull a 68 out of nothing really. I started off on the back nine and it was quite a seesaw, lots of birdies and lots of bogeys. Wasn't really settled in and I wasn't swinging too well," said Kapur.
"I got a good break on 14 when it bounced out of the trees and made birdie. And I didn't find my swing until the front nine, which was my back nine. 68 is a pretty good start, but just the way I played, making seven birdies, I would have hoped for a better round really," he added.
Digvijay Singh, temporary leader at 5-under after 10 holes, however lost his way to be in the company of Arjun Atwal at 2-under 70.
Digvijay looking good with the tournament's first eagle on the 14th hole and birdies on the 17th, 18th and the 1st after having teed off from the 10th hole.
Jeev Milkha Singh was quite a disappointment for the home crowd, as Jeev ranked 91st in the world, shot a 5-over par 77 on day one.
In pics, Day One: Indian Masters
Not so easy for 'Big Easy'
The biggest shock of the day came from world number four Ernie Els. The South African carded a 3-over par 75 at the end of his first round play. Playing his front nine in round one, the jolt came for him on the 18th. Els, the favourite of the tournament, took a nine on the par 5 18th.
This is how it happened on the 'disaster hole':
Els started off play with a drive. Els' second shot went into the bushes on the left. An unplayable lie forced him to take a penalty drop. Well, that was not the end of his run on a jinxed hole.
His fourth shot pitched back into the bushes, following which Els, nicknamed 'Big Easy', took another penalty drop. His sixth shot pitched short of the green, following which his seventh on the hole pitched to ten feet. And then he needed two putts to finish the hole.
Despite the much unexpected show by the South African, local favourite Shiv Kapur wasn't really surprised with Els' play.
"I am not surprised at all. By putting some of these bunkers in, you're taking some of the big numbers out because a lot of people are hitting irons off tees," explained Kapur.
"If you take the bunkers out, you tempt people to go with their driver, and that's when you find the bushes and when you find the trouble. I've seen big numbers made here," he added.
Shot of the Day
The mind blowing shot of the day came from none other than an Indian. In his round of 3-under par 69, C Muniyappa shot a hole in one on the 12th. And Randhawa was immensely pleased with the youngster's show.
"We as a golfing country look at the youngsters coming up and doing great things for the country and hopefully he keeps up the form," said Randhawa.
Randhawa - The man to watch out
As India's top golfer, Randhawa gears up for round two on Friday, he will hope not just to make the cut after round two play, but also to clinch his fourth successive win at the Delhi Golf Course.
"I think as long as I can keep doing the same things and handle the pressure and handle myself the way I did today, I think I'll be all right," said Randhawa.
Despite playing on the home course and playing with the best in the world, Randhawa is determined to make his mark this time around too with his aggressive play.
"I think for me, more because I know that, you can't shoot a 7-under and be happy about it and sit on it, because it's the European Tour and people shoot really low numbers here. Whenever you get a chance, I'm going to get aggressive," justifies Randhawa.