CRANS MONTANA (SWITZERLAND), Sep 1: Indian golfers Manu Gandas and Shubhankar Sharma struggled in the first round of the Omega European Masters here and were placed tied 68th and tied 122nd respectively.
Gandas had four birdies but also gave away three bogeys in his card of 1-under 69 at the Par-70 course. He needed a good round to make the weekend at Crans Montana, one of the most iconic golf courses on the DP World Tour.
India’s star player, Sharma, had an off day as he finished at 2-over 72 in the first round and needed a very low round to make the cut.
Sharma was 2-under through his first nine after starting from the 10th as he birdied the 15th and 16th, but there were four bogeys on the second, third, fifth and ninth on his second nine.
One of the players who played with Sharma was Pepperell, who was among the six co-leaders at 7-under 63.
Two-time champion Matt Fitzpatrick was in a six-way tie for the lead after a low-scoring opening day.
The Englishman put on a brilliant display as he carded a bogey-free 63 that left him at seven-under par alongside countryman Pepperell, Dane John Axelsen, Spaniard Nacho Elvira, Malaysia’s Gavin Green and Japanese Masahiro Kawamura.
Axelsen, Elvira, Green and Kawamura all joined Fitzpatrick with blemish-free cards, while Pepperell made a single bogey on a course softened by rain with preferred lies in place.
Fitzpatrick is targeting a historic victory at Crans-sur-Sierre Golf Club – after claiming the title back-to-back in 2017 and 2018 — to match the feat of Seve Ballesteros.
Swede Ludvig Aberg, Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and German Yannik Paul were a shot off the lead in Crans Montana. (PTI)
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