Feb 01, 2018: India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar took advantage of his sharp shooting game when he returned with an opening four-under-par 68 in the third edition of the Maybank Championship on Thursday.
Bhullar, an eight-time Asian Tour champion, hit 18 greens in regulation in a round of six birdies against two bogeys. He trails the clubhouse leader Chris Paisley by three shots in the US$3 million event which was suspended due to fading light at 7.30am.
The 29-year-old Indian, who played in the morning, currently shares 10th place and was disappointed not to return with a lower score after struggling on the greens where he totaled 33 putts.
Bhullar believes the winner at this week’s Maybank Championship will have a huge advantage in the Habitat for Humanity Standings race where he is currently in 10th position thanks to a tied-10th result in Myanmar last week.
“It was a decent start to the tournament. It has been a long time since I hit 18 out 18 greens in regulation. I gave myself a lot of good looks on the greens and drove the ball well. I could have done seven or eight-under today. I’ve definitely grown as a player in the last decade. The goal is to get your game good for this tournament because this dictates the Order of Merit winner. The goal is to finish as high as possible in this tournament. It helps a lot coming back to a country which you are familiar. The fans here know about the Asian Tour and they know about me. It always feels good and it always feels like the home of the Asian Tour.”
Did you know?
- Bhullar finished tied 20th and tied 40th in the last two editions of the Maybank Championship respectively.
- He hit 10 out of 14 fairways and had a total of 33 putts today.
- His best finish on the Habitat for Humanity Standings was in 2013 where he finished fifth.
- Bhullar married his long-term girlfriend Naureen, in December of 2017, in Panchkula, India.
- Naureen belongs to a family brimming with golfers and she lives with him in Sacramento, California.
- Bhullar won the driving accuracy category in 2017 after finding 79.17% fairways.
- Bhullar won the Arjuna Award in 2013 which was given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, government of India to recognize his outstanding achievements in golf.
- He bounced back from a wrist injury he sustained in 2014 by winning the 2016 Shinhan Donghae Open in Korea.
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He is the youngest player to win eight Asian Tour titles before turning 30.
Asian Tour Release
