By IANS
Jakarta : A secret tip from his wife that Harmeet Kahlon preferred to keep to himself helped him shoot a solid six-under 66 that put him in the third place in the first round of the Pertamina Indonesia President Invitational.
Chandigarh pro Kahlon starting on the tenth, closed the day with three birdies in last four holes to finish and just one behind joint leaders Thai Prom Meesawat and Korean Hur In Hoi.
“Last night, I had a good tip from my wife (Shalini) who helped me reach a solid score today. It was something she said that has given me motivation when I play now but I have to keep it a secret. I was putting solid and hitting it close to the pins today. I hope to keep on playing well. I have a different outlook on the game now where I will not pressure myself and try too hard,” said Kahlon, the 2003 Hero Honda Masters winner on the Asian Tour.
All players were unable to complete their first round due lighting which resulted in loss of time. A total of 54 players have yet to complete the first round, which will resume Friday.
It was a good day for the Indians. Digvijay Singh shot a five-under 67, while Gurbaaz Mann was five-under after 15 holes. They were provisionally tied at sixth places, while Gaganjeet Bhullar and Arjun Singh shot two-under 70 each for 29th place.
Firoz Ali shot a one-under 71 and was in 55th place, while youngsters Vikrant Chopra and Chiragh Kumar were one-under through nine holes.
Naman Dawar (73), Amardip Malik (74), Vivek Bhandari (75) while Uttam Mundy was two over after 12 and Amandeep Johl was three-over after 15.
Kahlon started on the tenth and had birdies on 12th and 13th and then had a string of pars before he found a third birdie on first.
Another birdie on fourth put him four-under before he made his first mistake with a bogey on fifth. He quickly made up with three birdies in his last four holes to finish with a fine 66.
“This is golf and you will never know what’s around the corner, sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn’t,” said Kahlon.
“I’ve got a very good support system for me to keep up with the game. My wife, sponsor and mentor Sibal are the pillars in my life. Sibal is an avid golfer and he is like my brother. He is a five handicapper who has always been supporting me all the way, and it goes the same for my wife who has been there for me.”
Meesawat and Korean rookie Hur took the clubhouse lead after firing matching seven-under-par 65s. Prom, ranked 25th on the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, shot eight birdies against a lone dropped shot while Hur enjoyed a bogey free round at the Damai Indah Golf – BSD Course.
The duo were a stroke ahead of Filipino youngster Juvic Pagunsan and Kahlon who were both tied in third position with Ryder Cup star Lee Westwood in joint fifth spot after a 67.
“It took me a while to adjust to the greens here but I finished off strongly. I struck a few scrappy shots in the opening stages but held my game well. The most challenging bit about this course is finding the fairways but I had a decent start and I’m pleased to be where I am now,” said Westwood, who hopes to continue his solid track record in Asia having won in Japan, Macau and Malaysia.