Atwal tied 67, Daniel Chopra tied 47th in Honda Classic

Miami, Mar 10 (UNI) Arjun Atwal fumbled on the 389-yard par-four seventh hole, dropping three shots there, while carding two-over 74 for the tied 67th place while Indian-born Swede Daniel Chopra was placed tied 47th after his opening round of one-over 73 in the Honda Classic first round at Palm Beach Gardens.

The birdie on the fourth was in fact the only highlight of Atwal's poor front nine that also included a bogey on the third hole, besides the debacle on seventh with a gusting wind making life difficult for him.

After five par shots on his second nine, Orlando-based Atwal fired a couple of birdies over the three holes -- on 15th and 17th -- but dropped a shot in the final hole to round off a disappointing day.

Daniel Chopra, on the other hand, had an average front nine with a couple of birdies and a bogey on the ninth. He struggled on his way back, dropping bogeys on the 11th, 13th and 18th and the lone birdie on 17th was of little solace as he went one-over 73.

American David Toms, winner of Hawai Open, fired five birdies in a row in his second nine that put him in the lead, along with Swede Mathias Gronberg, Japan's Ryuji Imada and Australian Geoff Ogilvy at five-under 67.

Play was eventually suspended because of bad light with three players yet to complete their round.

UNI XC/AY PM KN1454