Indian golfers Shiv Kapur, Arjun Prasad, M Dharma and Shankar Das shot identical scores of five-under-67 to be tied third behind leader Thai Itthipat Buranatanyarat on day one of the USD 400,000 Panasonic Open India 2019 here on Thursday.
The clubhouse lead was held by Itthipat, who fired a breathtaking eight-under-64.
The round began at 11 am, four hours and 10 minutes behind schedule, due to poor visibility and weather conditions.
The 60 golfers in the first session of play completed their rounds while the 66 golfers in the second session will play their first round on Friday.
Kapur, the 2017 champion, started the week in high spirits as he delivered a bogey-free 67.
Kapur, who teed off from the 15th, enjoyed a hot start as he birdied three of his first four holes. He added two more birdies to his card on the sixth and 10th.
"I started off playing really well, Thought I played quite solid all day but I did not take advantage of the par 5s as I should have which was disappointing. Only birdied one of them and missed a couple of easy opportunities on the third hole and ninth here. I was on the front edge of the green both times," Kapur later said.
"All in all, I'm pleased with the start, five-under is a solid start but given the way I played and the positions I put myself into, should have been a couple of shots lower, but all in all, it was a good day."
"As I struggled with my game, I recently decided to change my approach during practice. I'm now playing more practice rounds and spending lesser time at the range as compared to what I was doing earlier."
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