By IANS,
Newport (Wales) : Jeev Milkha Singh opened the Celtic Manor Wales Open in a blazing fashion with a bogey-free six-under 65 that included a hat-trick of birdies on the last three holes in the first round here.
The card of 65 Thursday gave Jeev the tied third spot, two shots behind Scott Strange, who had seven birdies on the back stretch. Edoardo Molinari of Italy is lying second with a card of 64.
Meanwhile, it was not too good a day for the other three Indians in the field. Jyoti Randhawa and S.S.P.Chowrasia shot one-over 72 each and were tied 91st, while Shiv Kapur was two-over 73 in 111th place.
Jeev, who missed the cut last week at BMW PGA Championships, had held a share of the lead in first round the week before that at the Irish Open but slumped to 40th. “But now I need to finish better,” he said.
“I putted well, needing 26 for the round and also scrambled well every time I missed the fairway,” he added.
Jeev birdied the second and ninth on the front nine and then added another on 13th before birdying the last three.
Strange scored a stunning eight under par 63 on the Twenty Ten Course, the venue for The 2010 Ryder Cup.
Starting on the 11th tee, Strange charged out of the blocks, picking up six birdies in his opening eight holes.
The Australian then played the front nine in one under 35 before completing his back nine in fine style with a birdie two on the par three tenth hole, leaving him with a brilliant back nine of just 28 strokes.
Molinari had moved to the top of the leaderboard with a flawless first round of seven under par 64, but he had to settle for second place at the end of day one, with Jeev joining Spain’s Alvaro Velasco on six under after rounds of 65.
Molinari’s outstanding effort signalled a complete return to form after he discovered an alternative cure to the tendonitis problem that destroyed the second half of his 2007 season. The 28-year-old won twice on the 2007 Challenge Tour to secure his place on 2008 European Tour before his game was crippled by injury.
Despite a one hour and 45 minute morning delay due to heavy fog around the Celtic Manor Resort, the Twenty Ten Course proved a hit with many of the European Tour’s big name players. Ryder Cup contenders such as Darren Clarke (one under) Nick Dougherty (four under), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño (four under), Padraig Harrington (one under) Robert Karlsson (four under), Graeme McDowell (two under), Rory McIlroy (three under) and Colin Montgomerie (two under) all found their feet at the venue for Europe’s next home Ryder Cup match against the United States.