By IANS
Noida : Shamim Khan carded a bogey-free six-under-par, 66 and grabbed early lead of the Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT) Open 2007, which started at the par-72 Jaypee Greens Golf Course Thursday here.
Khan teed off from the tenth hole and birdied the 10th, 12th and 15th holes to make the turn at three-under-par, according to a statement from organisers of the tournament.
He birdied the fourth, fifth and seventh holes to finish the day with a total of six-under-par, 66 and a one-stroke lead over second placed Gaurav Pratap Singh.
“I had a great day – I putted well and my driving was good. My Indian Open performance has given me a lot of confidence,” said Khan.
Singh started his round from the tenth hole and made birdies on the 10th and 12th holes but dropped a shot on the par-four 13th hole. He picked up birdies on the 15th and 18th holes to make the turn at three-under-par. A bogey on the third and birdies on the fourth, sixth and seventh holes saw him card a 67.
“My game plan was to try and hit all the greens in regulation and that helped. Secondly, I played within my limits,” said Singh. “My strategy is to play against the golf course and not against anyone else.”
Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing was a stroke further behind at four-under-par, 68 while S.S.P Chowrasia, Arjun Singh, Digvijay Singh, Shankar Das and Mandeo Singh from Jaypee Greens Pathania were tied at three-under-par, 69.
Gaganjeet Bhullar who finished fifth on the Order of Merit in the 2006 PGTI season – his first season as a professional – carded a two-under-par, 70 and was tied alongside Craig McLean, Harmeet Kahlon, Tze Shyan Lu, Feroz Ali Mollah, Neil Ashok Mudra and Anirban Lahiri.
“The course is playing easy and much shorter than before,” said Gaganjeet. However, he was quick to add that, “the greens decide the outcome of play as it is quite difficult to read the lines”.