July 01, 2016: There are two men from India at this week’s 100th Open de France in Paris. If their start was anything to go by, Indian interest in the event could end by the end of Friday. SSP Chawrasia and Shiv Kapur posted scores of 76 and 77 respectively in the first round on Thursday. Lucas Bjerregaard earned a one shot lead over four other golfers with a five under 66.
Chawrasia started his day with a triple bogey at the 419 yard first hole. Another bogey at the next par-4, the fourth hole, saw him to drop to four over.
It was a difficult start early on and despite his obvious grit and determination, it was not easy for Chawrasia to work his way back into the round.
His first birdie came at the sixth, but was offset quickly by a bogey at the turn as he made to the tenth with 40 strokes on his card.
Chawrasia made another birdie, late in the round, but that one at the 17th was sandwiched between bogeys at the 13th and 18th, leaving the Olympics bound golfer down five on the course.
Shiv had the better start of the two men. Despite back to back bogeys at the third and fourth holes, Shiv bounced back with three birdies in four holes to go one under through eight holes.
But between the 9th and 14th, Shiv conceded seven shots. It was a patch of play that dented him beyond repair. It included double bogeys at nine and fourteen, both par-5s.
Chawrasia is lying T120 and Shiv is a further ten spots back, making it a mountain climb just to make the cut. Both men will need a round in the mid-sixties when they tee off a second time, to have any real chance of staying in Paris for the weekend.
