Gaganjeet Bhullar Impresses, Shiv Kapur Hits Hole-In-One At Singapore Open

Singapore : Gaganjeet Bhullar's impressive bogey-free round and Shiv Kapur's sensational hole-in-one highlighted the opening day for the Indian contingent at the prestigious Singapore Open golf tournament.

Gaganjeet Bhullar carded a bogey-free 4-under round at the Singapore Open, placing him in a tie for sixth. Shiv Kapur made a hole-in-one on the second hole, his first ever on the Asian Tour, despite an otherwise difficult round. Thailand's Ekpharit Wu and Japan's Jeongwoo Ham lead the Singapore Open after the first round, both shooting 7-under 64s.

Several other Indian golfers, including Rashid Khan and Shaurya Bhattacharya, are in the top 30 after shooting 1-under rounds. Gaganjeet Bhullar's steady 4-under bogey-free round and Shiv Kapur's terrific hole-in-one were the major talking points of the opening day for the Indian contingent here at Singapore Open on Thursday.

The USD 2 million International Series tournament saw Thailand's Ekpharit Wu and Japan's Jeongwoo Ham set the early pace during the first round, carding 7-under 64s at the par-71 Serapong course at Sentosa Golf Club.

Wu shot a blemish-free round while Ham combined eight birdies with a lone bogey to lead by two strokes.

Bhullar's Consistent Performance : Searching for his 11th win on the Asian Tour, Bhullar started from the 10th tee in a sedate manner with pars on his first eight holes, making his first move with a birdie on the 18th, his ninth hole.

He then added three more on his back nine at the 1st, 4th and 7th holes of the course to record a 4-under 67 for the Tied-6th position after the first round.

Speaking after his round on a hot and humid day, Bhullar was very happy with the consistency he displayed and said, "I played good golf today, I was in the game throughout the 18 holes."

When asked about his plans over the next three days, the Indian star said, "I would love to continue the form and just multiply my belief for the next three rounds."

On his approach towards tackling the fabled Sentosa Golf Club, Bhullar added, "You've got to be mentally strong. You've got to hit the ball so good, like from the tee, second shot, putting, your chipping, everything has to be spot on."

Kapur's Memorable Hole-In-One : However, it was Shiv Kapur who came up with the shot of the day with a hole-in-one on the par-3 second hole of the course. He hit an 8-iron off the tee on the 168-yard hole for his first-ever ace on the Asian Tour.

The three-time winner on the tour said, "I've been playing on the Asian Tour for about 22 years and I've never had a hole-in-one out here, so that's my first."

Kapur had a bit of a rough day otherwise with two double bogeys and two bogeys, finishing 4-over for the day.

"The hole-in-one at least put a bit of a smile on my face, a small silver lining on what was otherwise a tough day. That's golf - it takes a bit from you and gives a bit back. At least I walk away with something positive," he added.

Other Indian Performances : Among the other Indians, Rashid Khan, Shaurya Bhattacharya and Ajeetesh Sandhu shot rounds of 1-under to be among the top-30 in the leaderboard, while Karandeep Kochhar was even par.

Another young Indian Pukhraj Singh Gill, who is playing this week courtesy of the pathway to International Series from the IGPL, also shot a creditable level par.

Two shots away off the leaders were a bunch of three †American Charles Porter, Zimbabwe's Kieran Vincent and Aidric Chan of Philippines shooting 66s to share third place.

Sharing the sixth position with Bhullar was another big group of players who came in with 67s: John Catlin from the United States, the 2024 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion; Australians Will Florimo and Kevin Yuan; Japan's Tomohiro Ishizaka and Ryosuke Kinoshita plus LIV Golf player Luis Masaveu of Spain.

Singapore Open: A Pathway To The Open Championship
The Singapore Open is the fourth event of the season on the Asian Tour and the second leg of The International Series, the enhanced level of tournaments that provide a pathway to the LIV Golf League.

The event is also part of the Open Qualifying Series with the top two players not otherwise exempt eligible for this summer's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

The Singapore Open is part of the Asian Tour and offers a pathway to the LIV Golf League through the International Series. Additionally, the top two players at the Singapore Open who are not already exempt will qualify for The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale this summer. This provides significant incentives for golfers competing in the tournament.