Port Louis [Mauritius], December 20 : Shubhankar Sharma endured a late stumble on a difficult scoring day at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, dropping three shots over two holes towards the finish to shoot two-over-par in the opening round at the challenging La Reserve Links.
Fresh from regaining his DP World Tour card with a runner-up finish at the Qualifying School, Sharma showed resilience in tricky, rainy and windy conditions for much of the day. He was one under through 13 holes before a bogey followed by a double bogey the latter coming at the par-4 16th, where he needed two attempts to escape the rough derailed his momentum. Sharma signed for a 74 to sit tied 71st.
The Indian had three birdies and three bogeys, all on par-5s, but the late mistakes proved costly on a course that punished even slight errors.
"I knew the conditions were going to be tough, but that's what you expect here. It's an amazing course scenic and challenging. This is my first time at La Reserve, but I have good memories of Mauritius," Sharma said.
Only 33 players managed to break par on a stern opening day at the Louis Oosthuizen-Pete Matkovich-designed layout, which is hosting the tournament for just the second time.
South Africa's Casey Jarvis and Scotland's Scott Jamieson emerged as joint clubhouse leaders after rounds of five-under-par 67. Jamieson mixed eight birdies with a bogey and a double bogey, while Jarvis produced an eventful card featuring two eagles, four birdies, a bogey and a double bogey.
They hold a one-shot advantage over a group of six players tied for third at four-under 68, including former champion Dylan Frittelli, who won the title in 2017, as well as Herman Loubser, Alexander Levy, Brandon Stone, Ryan Gerard and Manuel Elvira.
Frittelli's round was highlighted by a strong finish, with three consecutive birdies and an eagle on the par-5 eighth after earlier setbacks. Levy also rallied with a run of birdies before a closing bogey.
Last week's Alfred Dunhill Links champion Jayden Schaper was among those a further shot back on three-under 69, alongside Joakim Lagergren, Andreas Halvorsen and MJ Daffue, as the leaderboard remained tightly packed after a testing first day.
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