A bogey on his opening hole hardly fazed Gaganjeet Bhullar, who proved what matters is how you finish as he stormed to a two-shot lead with an eight-under-par 63 on the opening day of the Venetian Macau Open yesterday.
Strapping and built more like a fast bowler from his cricket-mad country, Indian Bhullar made light of the early flaw with an eagle on his second hole. It set the tone for the rest of the round as he breezed around the Coloane course, coming close to flirting with the course record of 62 set by his countryman Amandeep Johl a few years ago.
"That eagle on the second was a defining moment for me. It changed my whole outlook and game plan. I knew I was hitting the ball well and that lifted me mentally. The rest was easy as I was putting well," Bhullar said.
His late surge saw him displace Thailand's Prom Meesawat, who had occupied the top of the leaderboard for most of the day, after an accomplished six-under 65. Prom was tied with Australian Scott Hend.
Fortune smiled on Bhullar soon after his bogey start. His drive went 370 yards at the par-five second leaving him well within range of a great recovery.
"I can't hit that long, and I think it pitched on the cart path and bounced. I then hit a pitching wedge to 35 feet and caned that putt," he said.
In his last five starts, Bhullar has won one tournament - last month in Taipei - finished second in another and tied for ninth in a third. He carried that form into the opening day of the US$750,000 tournament.