Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa were off to good starts with identical cards of 68 to end the round one at tied second in the Ballantine's Championship in Jeju on Thursday.
The Indian duo and seven others are one stroke behind leaders Mikko Ilonen of Finland and Tony Carolan of Australia at the Pinx Golf Club in the co-sanctioned event.
Jeev had a tremendous start with birdies on the 10th, 11th and 13th holes. He then dropped a double bogey on the 18th to make the turn at one under.
On the front nine, Jeev fired three consecutive birdies on the first, second and third. His only blemish on the front nine was the bogey on the seventh.
The former Asia number one picked up another stroke when he closed with a birdie on the ninth.
Randhawa, on the other hand, did not have a great start as he dropped a double bogey on the second. But he then fought back with birdies on the fourth, eighth, 10th, 15th, 16th and 18th to end the day on a high note.
Other Indians in the fray, Gaurav Ghei and Shiv Kapur fired an even par 72 and two over 74 to be placed tied 62nd and tied 98th respectively.
Ghei made seven pars and birdied the seventh and ninth to produce a solid front nine, but he dropped back on the back nine with bogeys on the 14th and 15th.
Kapur sank birdies on the ninth and 13th and bogeyed the seventh, 10th, 15th and 16th.
