India’s Gaganjeet Bhullar took advantage of his sharp shooting game when he returned with an opening four-under-par 68 in the third edition of the Maybank Championship on Thursday.
Bhullar, an eight-time Asian Tour champion, hit 18 greens in regulation in a round of six birdies against two bogeys. He trails the clubhouse leader Chris Paisley by three shots in the US$3 million event which was suspended due to fading light at 7.30am.
The 29-year-old Indian, who played in the morning, currently shares 10th place and was disappointed not to return with a lower score after struggling on the greens where he totaled 33 putts.
Bhullar believes the winner at this week’s Maybank Championship will have a huge advantage in the Habitat for Humanity Standings race where he is currently in 10th position thanks to a tied-10th result in Myanmar last week.
Bhullar said, “It was a decent start to the tournament. It has been a long time since I hit 18 out 18 greens in regulation. I gave myself a lot of good looks on the greens and drove the ball well. I could have done seven or eight-under today. I’ve definitely grown as a player in the last decade.”
“The goal is to get your game good for this tournament because this dictates the Order of Merit winner. The goal is to finish as high as possible in this tournament. It helps a lot coming back to a country which you are familiar. The fans here know about the Asian Tour and they know about me. It always feels good and it always feels like the home of the Asian Tour,” he added.