Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma got off to one of his best starts on the European Tour this season, carding a 5-under 67 that put him in the Top-10 after the first round of the Hero Open here.
Sharma, who was brilliant in the Pro-Am with a double digit under par score, carried on from there in the second edition of the Hero Open.
The other Indians in the fray, Shiv Kapur shot 72 and was T-54, while Gaganjeet Bhullar and SSP Chawrasia carded 76 each and Ajeetesh Sandhu was further down at 77.
Sharma, who won twice on the European Tour in 2018 has been looking for a title ever since. He started from the 10th and after two pars he had four birdies in a row.
Two more birdies on sixth and seventh, his 15th and 16th holes of the day, got him to 6-under but a closing bogey saw him fall to 5-under for the day.
"I am happy with the way I am playing. I need some more consistency in the scores," said Sharma.
Calum Hill carded the lowest round of his European Tour career as he took a one stroke lead. One of the day early starters, the 26-year-old made the most of benign conditions as he signed for a bogey free round of 63, setting a new course record in the process on the Torrance Course at Fairmont St Andrews.
Scandinavian Mixed Masters winner Jonathan Caldwell of Northern Ireland was second with a card of 64, one stroke clear of Ross Fisher of England, American Chase Hanna and Robin Sciot-Siegrist of France.