Golf: Gaganjeet Bhullar Finishes In Top 10 At Moutai Singapore Open

Gaganjeet Bhullar from India had a strong start at the Moutai Singapore Open, finishing in the top 10 after the first round. He achieved seven birdies and two bogeys, ending with a score of 67, which is 5-under par. This puts him three shots behind the leader, Jeunghun Wang from South Korea, who scored an impressive 8-under 64.

Wang's performance was notable as he made nine birdies and only one bogey. He leads by one stroke over Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Gunn Charoenkul, along with Zimbabwe's Kieran Vincent, all of whom scored 65s. Kiradech had a chance to share the lead but bogeyed the final hole.

The tournament marks its return after last being held in 2022 and is hosted at the Singapore Island Country Club for the first time in 25 years. Wang's career highlights include three European Tour wins nearly a decade ago. He took an 18-month break for national service in Korea and has been rebuilding his career since then.

Among other Indian players, Ajeetesh Sandhu and SSP Chawrasia are three strokes behind Bhullar with scores of 70 (-2). Dominic Foos from Germany, who recently won the SJM Macao Open, joins Americans Micah Shin, Ollie Schniederjans, Caleb Surratt, and Thailand's Nitithorn Thippong with scores of 66.

Wang expressed his desire to win again after almost eight years without a victory. "I haven’t won a tournament in almost eight years, so I really want to get a win again," he said. His strong iron play and putting contributed significantly to his performance.

Kiradech Aphibarnrat reflected on his round: "Not the way I wanted to start and finish," he said. Despite this, he noted many positives in his game. Gunn Charoenkul is aiming to secure his card for next year as he currently ranks 56th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

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Kieran Vincent showed promising form after finishing third in Jakarta last month. Playing alongside Foos and Shin helped him maintain momentum. "I was trying to play catch up to my playing partners," Vincent said about their group dynamics.

Singaporean amateur Troy Storm impressed with a score of 67 on his home course. At just 16 years old, he is leading among local players despite dropping a shot on the final hole.

Kazuki Higa from Japan leads the Asian Tour Order of Merit and scored a 70. Meanwhile, Scott Vincent returned with a score of 72 as he tops The International Series Rankings.