Randhawa tied 21st, Shiv tied 103 at European Players Championship

Alveslohe, Germany, July 28 (UNI) Jyoti Randhawa fired four birdies in a flawless back nine to card four-under 68 for a share of the 21st spot while Shiv Kapur is in the danger of missing the cut following a level-par score which left him tied 103 after the opening round of the 3.6 million euro Deutsche Bank Players Championship of Europe.

Randhawa slotted five birdies against a solitary bogey to end the day five shots behind leader Lee Westwood, who created a course record with his blemish-free round of 63 which was studded with nine bidies.

Randhawa made an ordinary start by dropping a shot on the fourth but compensated for the lapse with a birdie on the sixth. The Indian was level-par before making the turn.

He started his backward journey by gaining two consecutive shots on the 10th and 11th and kept the momentum going with another birdie on the 15th before signing off with a birdie on the par-four last hole at the Gut Kaden course to the north of Hamburg.

In contrast Shiv Kapur was clearly not at his best as he played out a two-birdie and two-bogey opening round to be precariously placed at tied 103. Shiv, who came up with a decent show at The Open last week before missing the cut by two shots, will have to raise his game by several notches to avoid a similar fate here.

Meanwhile, English man Westwood's exploits on the first day have also boosted his chances of making his fifth Ryder Cup appearance.

The 33-year-old was in imperious form and finished the day a shot above South African Retief Goosen (64) and Robert Karlsson (64) of Sweden.

Westwood has won twice at Gut Kaden in the past, including in 2000 when he beat Tiger Woods on the final day.

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