V Krishnaswamy

Hoylake, July 21: Shubhankar Sharma gave himself a perfect start to the 151st Open as he put together a solid round of 3-under 68 at the rather challenging Royal Liverpool Golf Club in afternoon conditions when the scoring became even more difficult.

Sharma who had just one bogey against four birdies finished in near darkness as he was one of the last three groups to finish the day. With the pace of play also being somewhat slow, Sharma needed more than five hours 15 minutes for the round.

Putting his birthday party for a later date, Sharma is hoping to make the cut on Friday, when he turns 27, said, “The birthday bit can come later. As for golf, yes, really happy. We did some good preparations before this event, and even before this week when I was here three weeks ago. It was good to look at the course, having three rounds earlier before the event started. Really happy that all my work has kind of paid off. There's still a long way to go in the event. But I played really solid. Very proud of the way I played. I was rarely out of position today, I was able to make pars, as well. And yeah, solid round.” Earlier in the day, South African amateur Christo Lamprecht, 22, who got into the year’s last Major by winning The (British) Amateur Championships at nearby Hillside Golf Club in Southport, set the clubhouse lead at 5-under 66 and he was joined by the 32-year-old Southport native Tommy Fleetwood.

With conditions becoming tougher in the second half of the day, Argentine Emiliano Grillo finished with five birdies on his second nine and ended the day birdie-birdie including a sensational one on the 18th to join the co-leaders at 5-under. Six players, including Sharma, Alex Noren, Max Homa, Scotsman Michael Stewart, the 2009 Open winner, Stewart Cink, who turned 50 a few months back and Wyndham Clark, who recently opened his Major account with a win in the US Open.

Sharma, who has made the cut on both his previous starts at the Open and finished an identical T-51, added, “I am going to hold back the birthday celebrations even though my mother, sister, father and coach are here. There is some work to do and the second round will be a normal golf day, only it is a Major that I love.”

He added, “I was very stable mentally. I think my mental makeup was very stable, and I think that was the best thing about today. Once that happens, then the rest of the things are easy to do. It just flows. But to pinpoint something, I think nothing really stood out. I wouldn't say that the putting was fantastic; hitting was a 9 or 10. Everything was above an 8, which is very, very good personally for me.
I hit it good off the tee. Iron play was solid. I hit the right windows with my irons. Speeds were good with putting, as well. Nothing to be unhappy about.”

Apart from four birdies, had some excellent par saves. “Two good saves – on the 10th, yes, and on the 16th, those two. 10th was good. I was trying to draw the 3-wood, which didn't really draw so it went straight slightly right into the rough. I had a very long second shot into a par-4, which was brilliant on the green. That second shot was the star on that hole.

“The 16th again was brilliant. Laid up, had about 80 yards to the hole into the wind, hit a good sand wedge, pitched it past the hole, spun it back to about eight, ten feet, and made the putt. So yeah, happy.”

On the last two putts on 17 and 18, that stopped just short, Sharma said, “Yes, they could have (gone in), but it's fine. I'm happy I gave myself two birdie looks on the last two holes. It was getting slightly dark, slightly chilly. Hit a very good shot on 17; left it slightly short.
And then the last hole just the way the pin in, I was anyway going to lay up, but where that pin is it's tough to get any spin on the ball with that much downwind. I was happy to get there in two. Really happy to see -- I also saw my name on the board. That board is quite iconic and I saw my name, so I was happy about it.”