Randhawa tied 5th after Rd1 of Alstom Open de France

Paris: Jyoti Randhawa fired a flawless four-under 67 to be the highest-placed Indian golfer at tied fifth after the opening round of the Alstom Open de France.

The seasoned Delhi-pro reeled off four birdies -- two in each nine – to be four shots off the lead held by Robert-Jan Derksen. Chandigarh-golfer Jeev Milkha Singh was the next best-placed Indian at tied 29th after carding a one-under 70 in the opening round. Jeev sank in two eagles and three birdies against two bogeys and an equal number of double bogeys in a roller-coaster round which went haywire in the closing stages. Jeev shared the 29th position with among others Shiv Kapur. The Delhi-based Kapur played out a blemishfree front nine comprising two birdies but let it slip in the backward journey during which he dropped a couple of bogeys while gaining just one shot. Kolkata-pro SSP Chowrasia, meanwhile, looked in danger of missing the cut after opening with a topsy-turvy 73. A 10th tee starter, Chowrasia’s round was thrown into chaos after a bogey-free back nine, that included a couple of birdies. In his front-nine, Chowrasia stumbled to three bogeys and a double bogey against just one birdie. PTI