Bhullar back with a bang

He raised eyebrows last week, first with his play, and then an extraordinary capitulation. Gaganjeet Bhullar might have attracted doubts then, but the 20-year-old seems intent on putting a full stop to those questions on attitude. Bhullar shrugged off dramatically changing weather conditions and the big names in the fold to take the first round lead at the DLF Masters, with a composed five-under 67 on a tough course that allowed only six under par rounds.

A shot back is Harmeet Kahlon, who said he wants to revive memories of his Asian Tour win on this course in 2002. There are three more rounds to play before that happens, though Kahlon8217;s two-bogey, four-birdie, one-eagle start gave him a four-under 68 and a headstart. Pinning his name up on the leaderboard at his home course was Himmat Singh Rai with a three-under.

It was Bhullar who lit up the rain-speckled afternoon with seven birdies. The big-hitter was following the simple rule of keeping to the fairways to make work on the greens easy, with his longest birdie putt only about eight feet.

Jyoti Randhawa shot an even-par 72, though the round was far from staid, with a stunning eagle on the 15th. Shiv Kapur and Gaurav Ghei had forgettable rounds of four-over 76 and three-over 75, respectively.