Sharma hangs in despite triple, shoots 71 to be 42nd at BMW PGA

Shubhankar Sharma was tied 42nd on account of a triple bogey with a score of one-under 71 while SSP Chawrasia shot an even par to be tied 69th after opening round of the BMW PGA Championship.

The talented Sharma survived a big blip on the back nine, when he triple bogeyed on the fourth hole which was Par-5.

Sharma was cruising with birdies on 12th, 13th and 18th holes respectively. He added a fourth birdie on second when disaster struck on Par-5 fourth. He also bogeyed the next hole to be suddenly even par. However he fought back with a birdie on Par-4 sixth and ended the day at 71.

"I am proud of the way I hung despite dropping the triple," said Sharma, who did well for three days last week at the KLM Open before dropping to 40th on the final day.

Chawrasia had three each of birdies and bogeys.

Matt Wallace delighted the home crowds in the opening round as the 29-year-old carded a flawless seven under 65 to move into a one-shot lead.

On a sunny and hot day, Wallace, who won three of his four European Tour titles in 2018 was the star of the show.

He opened with a birdie three at the first before a stunning eagle-birdie-birdie run from the fourth hole saw him reach the turn in five under par.

The Londoner cruised home with a couple more birdies to move to the top, ahead of Spain's Jon Rahm and Swede Henrik Stenson on six under par. Their 2018 Ryder Cup-winning team-mate Justin Rose was a shot behind after a five-under 67.

Justin Rose, Ernie Els, Paul Casey and Danny Willett were among the seven players at four-under 68.