Indian golfers Shiv Kapur (71) and Himmat Rai (74) made less-than-impressive starts on the opening day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship being played over three courses.
|Last Updated: Oct 05, 2012, 03:06 PM IST|Source: Bureau
St. Andrews (UK): Indian golfers Shiv Kapur (71) and Himmat Rai (74) made less-than-impressive starts on the opening day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship being played over three courses here.
Kapur played with former Dutch footballer Ruud Gullit at the St. Andrew and shot a one-under 71 with three birdies, all on the front nine, and two bogeys, one on either side of the turn.
He was lying 76th, but fellow Indian Himmat Rai, making his maiden appearance at this event, carded a 74 which comprised a birdie and three bogeys. Rai was lying 140th.
South African Branden Grace equalled the European Tour record with a round of 60 at Kingsbarns to lead after the first round.
The 24-year-old Grace, who has already won three European Tour titles this season, knocked two strokes off Lee Westwood`s course record thanks to an eagle and 10 birdies -- five of them in a row.
Fourteen players have now shot 60 on the European Tour and Darren Clarke has done it twice. Grace could well have come to 59 but had to be satisfied with a 60.
The Pretoria golfer leads Victor Dubuisson by two, the Frenchman`s 62 at St Andrews also being a course record, while many of the big guns were left trailing after they battled with the far tougher Carnoustie.
When Westwood had his 62 at Kingsbarns in 2003 it included an albatross two on the ninth, but Grace needed nothing as extraordinary as that.
"I never really made anything long," he said.
"It was all 12 to 15 footers and it`s nice just to have a bogey-free round on a links. We were lucky with the weather, but you still have to get it in the right spots and get it around."
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.