Bhullar makes big charge on back-nine, T-8th in Spain

Gaganjeet Bhullar was superb on the back-nine, striking three birdies and an eagle, for a four-under 67 which placed him Tied-8th after the first round of the Mutuactivos Open golf tournament here. Bhullar has been spending most of his season playing on the European Tour and making use of the card he earned in Fiji last year.

India's other player in the field, SSP Chawrasia, fought back over the last six holes with four birdies and was one-under 70 in Tied-42nd place. Spain's national open was returning to Club de Campo Villa de Madrid for the first time in 23 years.

Local heroes Adri Arnaus, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Jon Rahm all made bright starts in the marquee group. Kristian Krogh Johannessen birdied four of his last six holes to card a 63 that saw the Norwegian jump to eight-under, two shots clear of Arnaus and three ahead of Cabrera Bello and defending champion Rahm.

Bhullar, starting on the back-nine, opened with a birdie but bogeys on the 15th and 18th meant he turned in one-over. On the second nine, he birdied second, eagled, the par-five fourth and added birdies on the fifth and seventh to be five-under for the back-nine and a total of 67. Chawrasia also opened with birdie on 10th, but bogeys on the 11th and 15th and then first meant he was three-over. He then birdied the fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth to get into red figures at one-under.

Italian Andrea Pavan and German Marcel Siem were also at five-under. Johannessen missed his first nine cuts after graduating from the Qualifying School last year but with his 63 matched the course record and the lowest opening round in the event's history.

Arnaus made a blistering start, registering birdies on the 13th, 16th, 17th and 18th, and an eagle on the par-five 14th to jump to six-under. Bhullar, Nicolas Colsaerts, Samuel Del Val, Sihwan Kim, Zander Lombard and Jason Scrivener were all four shots off the lead.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)