Jyoti Randhawa made an impressive start in the Singapore Masters with a sizzling opening round seven-under 65 to be tied third, while compatriot Jeev Milkha Singh turned in three-under 69 in his rather sedate round in Singapore on Thursday.
Randhawa, who has missed each of his three cuts on the Asian Tour this season but done well in European Tour events, shot his 65 on the Classic Course and was tied third with Shingo Katayama and Barry Hume. They were one shot behind joint-leaders Liang Wen Chong and Marcus Fraser.
China's Liang enjoyed a sensational start after an eight-under 64 and shared the lead with Australia's Fraser in the opening round. Both were playing on the Classic Course, which produced the top 27 scores for the day.
The day's best on Golden Course was four-under 68 by five players, including seasoned Indian Gaurav Ghei. They were all tied 15th, but will play the easier Classic course on the second day.
Both Jeev Milkha Singh and Shiv Kapur shot three-under 69 each on the Classic Course to be tied 33rd.
Among others, the Kolkata duo of Rahil Gangjee and SSP Chowrasia shot even par 72 on the tougher Golden Course to be tied 98th, while Amandeep Johl had a two-over 74 on the Golden to be tied 137th.
With the event being played over two courses -- Masters and Classic courses -- the leading duo took a narrow one stroke lead over Japanese talent Shingo Katayama in tied third place in the US$1.1 million event.
Randhawa, a former Asia number one, remained focused on the Classic Course and studded his round with an eagle and seven birdies against two bogeys.
"I've been changing my swing a bit and my overall game. I was a bit patchy before coming here but now I'm committing more towards the shots and it worked out well," said Randhawa, who has six Asian Tour titles under his belt.
"I decided to be more focused after my dropped shot on the third. I also dropped another shot on the last hole. Both bogeys were because of mental errors. I learnt from that and hope to play better tomorrow," he added.
Defending champion Mardan Mamat enjoyed a relaxed time on the Masters Course walking away bogey free for a steady 68 in tied 15th position.
Leading first round scores:
64-Marcus Fraser (Aus), Liang Wen-chong (Chn)
65-Barry Hume (Sco), Shingo Katayama (Jpn), Jyoti Randhawa (Ind)
66-Mark Brown (Nzl), Peter Lawrie (Ire), Angelo Que (Phi), Graeme Storm (Eng), Martin Kaymer (Ger)
67-Rafael Cabrera Bello (Esp), Adam Blyth (Aus), Unho Park (Aus), Peter Hanson (Swe).
