London: Indian golfer SSP Chowrasia endured a topsy-turvy start, carding a one-under 71 on the opening day to be tied 23rd in the BMW PGA Championship here.
The two-time winner on the Asian and European Tours, Chowrasia had an eventful round with five birdies and four bogeys.
India`s other two challengers in the event, Gaganjeet Bhullar (74) and Jeev Milkha Singh (78) had a rough time in the first round. Bhullar was lying 77th and Jeev was 141st in cold and wet conditions.
James Kingston, playing on a sponsor`s invite, made light of the cold and wet conditions at the Wentworth Club to take the first-round lead in the BMW PGA Championship with a sublime six-under 66.
He was one shot clear of Finn Mikko Ilonen and South African George Coetzee, with Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, Scottish rookie Scott Henry and Austrian Martin Wiegele on four-under-par.
Chowrasia had a fine day off the tee finding the fairway on each of the 14 times and reached the green in regulation on 13 occasions. But he needed 31 putts to get through the day.
Bhullar had one birdie and three bogeys, while Jeev had two birdies, two bogeys and three double bogeys on a disastrous day.
Kingston finished with seven birdies and one bogey shortly before play was suspended.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.