Jeev Milkha Singh played through extremely well in storm-like conditions to card a solid four-under 68 that gave him a share in the six-way lead at the end of the first round of the Omega Dubai Classic Golf tournament here Thursday.
"It is was very tough out there. I was just happy not to give away shots. The four-under gave a great feeling though I may have left a shot or two out there," said Jeev, who played his first competitive round since he became father last month.
"On a day like this one just needs to be patient and play somewhat cautiously."
Talking of his preparations, Jeev said, "I came here on Monday without having touched a club since the week of Abu Dhabi. Then I hit a few balls on Tuesday and played the Pro-Am on Wednesday. And looking at today’s conditions, no one was sure how it would go."
So at a venue where scores are normally low, 68 seemed worth its weight in gold.
Jeev, who began with a birdie on second gave that back on the fifth and was even par till the eighth. Then he struck a purple patch with four birdies in a row from ninth to 12th and closed with six pars in a row for a 68.
Jeev shares the lead with Rory McIlroy, Stephen Dodd, Edoardo Molinari, Alexander Noren and Charl Schwartzel, the current leader in the Race to Dubai standings.
The other Indians had a disappointing day. Shiv Kapur with five birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey had a 74 in tied 61st place. Jyoti Randhawa with two double bogeys in his 75 was 82nd and Arjun Atwal (77) was 109th. SSP Chowrasia also shot a 77 and Anirban Lahiri playing on a sponsor’s invite shot a 78 to be 120th and will need a brilliant round to stay in the tournament over the weekend.