Jyoti Randhawa sole leader
in BMW Asian Open

Jyoti Randhawa began his title-hunt with a brilliant round of seven-under 65 to take the sole lead after the opening round of the $1.5 million BMW Asian Open at the Ta Shee Golf and Country Club, in Taiwan, on Thursday.

The other Indians in the fray also had a good start to the richest tournament on the Davidoff Asian PGA Tour calendar. Arjun Singh, twice winner of Honda Siel PGA Championship of India, the richest domestic tournament, was in the joint 10th position after submitting a card of 68.

The latest entrant on the Asian PGA Tour, Vijay Kumar finished with a score of 71 to be placed joint 31st while Arjun Atwal, trying to get back on top of the APGA Order of Merit, played an even par round of 72 to share the 54th spot.

The other Indian in the fray, Vivek Bhandari returned a card of one-over 73 and was lying in the joint 69th position.

Padraig Harrington, who has a ranking of top-10 in the world, trailed Jyoti by a solitary stroke and shared the second sport with two others – Maarten Lafeber of Holland and Germany’s Sven Struver.

Randhawa after a par-start, made successive birdies on the next two holes. However a lapse of concentration saw the 30-year-old pro making a bogey on the fourth. After returning par on the next hole, the Delhi-based pro made an eagle on the par-5 sixth and thereafter had one more birdie on the eighth to take the turn at four-under.

Randhawa, who had finished a creditable sixth at the cash-rich $5-million Dunhill Links Championship last month, accumulated three more birdies on the return journey (12th, 14th and 16th) to lead the quality field.

"I am happy with my round though I could have done a little better. The competition is tough and I am planning to stick to my plans – keep my head down and play my game," said Randhawa.

Arjun Singh also put up an impressive show. The lanky pro shot a bogey-free round recording two birdies each on the forward and backward journeys respectively to stay in contention for a bright finish.

Meanwhile the Cosmo Films-sponsored Vijay Kumar, who began with a bogey, nullified his score with a birdie on the sixth to be even par after the first nine. The Lucknow-based pro started his return trip with a birdie but faulted on the 15th to go over on that hole. However, a birdie on the 16th put Vijay in the 31st position.