Tidland leads on shortened day

Amateur Kapil Dev, hoping to make the cut in his first major tournament fired a one-over — not a bad score for someone who has taken to the game seriously in the last couple of years — and by the evening told the organisers that he wouldn’t be able to the make it to the tee for the second round because of an old committment.He lead the amateur field for the day, and his score included a birdie on the par-four sixth hole and a bogey each on the second and fifth.

Chris Tidland of the US led the field with a three under par 33, while home course favourites like Jeev, Daniel Chopra, the Indian-born Swedish player, and Gaurav Ghei had nightmarish scores. Jeev went three-over, while Chopra and Ghei went four-over. Chopra had a double bogey on seventh and Ghei a double bogey on sixth, besides one more bogey each, and neither shot a birdie over the nine holes.

Chopra, who has been on the European PGA for the last two years but makes it a point to come for the Siel tournament each year, was furious with himself with a poor four over 40 for the nine holes. With a reduced tournament, and the cut for the top 40 to be applied after 27 holes, it can hardly be a pleasant situation for him. The same goes for Ghei, who finished second in the Hero Honda Masters last month. Jeev, who got a place in the field as the 69-year-old Mange Lal, the pro at the Army Golf Course volunteered to pull out, is only slightly better off. But as he said, “For me the tournament begins tommorrow.” The reference being to his tiredness and lack of sleep over the last 48 hours.

Of the six foreigners including Daniel Chopra, only Tidland came under par, while Volvo China Open champion Cheng Jun, the Pakistani duo, Mohammed Munir and Taimur Hussain, shot par scores. Mohammed Akram the third Pak player was two over and Chopra playing under the Swedish flag was four over.

Arjun Atwal, one of the longest hitters on the Indian circuit, was in fine form. He was two under for the day. It could quite easily have been four or even five under but for three missed putts from less than ten feet on the fourth, fifth and sixth holes. Two of them were eight-feet putts and the third a ten-foot one. But he had birdies on the seventh and eighth with putts from two and six feet.

Rohtas Singh, one of the seniormost Indian pros on the scene, went two under with birdies on the fifth and seventh holes. Shivin Kwatra, one of the brightest young golfers, returned from a wrist injury hit a triple bogey on the third, but held on for a creditable four over 40.

THE LEADERS (first round of nine holes): 33 — Chris Tidland (US); 34 — Rohtas Singh and Arjun Atwal; 35 — Amritinder Singh, Md Islam, Sri Pal, Jyoti Randhawa