Key Points

Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma has begun the Hainan Classic with a promising 3-under 69, bouncing back from recent missed cuts. His performance puts him in a competitive position after the first round at the Blackstone Course. Haotong Li leads the tournament with an impressive 6-under score, showcasing high-level play. The tournament represents another opportunity for Sharma to demonstrate his potential on the international golf stage.

Key Points: Shubhankar Sharma Leads Strong Start in Hainan Golf Classic

  • Sharma opens with strong 3-under performance
  • Haotong Li leads tournament at 6-under
  • Seven players card 5-under 67 in first round
2 min read

Golf: Shubhankar Sharma starts well in Round 1 DP World Tour in Hainan

Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma posts impressive 3-under 69 in first round of DP World Tour event in China

"A solid comeback after missing the cut in Shanghai - Golf Analyst"

Hainan (China), April 25

Shubhankar Sharma opened with a 3-under 69 in the Hainan Classic on the DP World Tour at the Blackstone Course in Mission Hills Resort Haikou in Hainan Island.

After missing the cut in Shanghai last week, Sharma began with 69 and was Tied-17 as the first round ended early on Friday.

Sharma, who missed the cut last despite a strong day 2, was 2-under through 14 holes before play was suspended. He had two birdies and then next morning had an eagle and a bogey for a 69.

Haotong Li has played a round in the 60's for the 14th time in his last 19 rounds to catapult himself in the top spot alongside Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Kristoffer Reitan.

Haotong Li had seven birdies and one bogie to finish 6 under par for the day.

Li produced four birdies and a bogey on the front nine for a score of three-under and three birdies on the back nine for a score of three-under.

Aphibarnrat had eight birdies and two bogeys with three birdies and a bogey on both the front and back nines.

Reitan had 5 birdies, one bogey and one eagle for his 6-under total.

There were seven players who carded 5-under 67 in the first round.

Earlier, Sharma bounced back from an 82 in the first round with 69 in the second but failed to make the cut at the Volvo China Open 2025 on the DP World Tour at the Enhance Anting Golf Club in Shanghai.

Sharma, who started the second round from the tenth had a bogey on the 12th but birdied the 14th and the 18th to be 1-under at the turn. On the second nine, he had four birdies, a bogey, and a double bogey on the ninth for a 69.

Despite improving his score by 13 shots as compared to the first day, Sharma has failed to make the cut for the first time after the Magical Kenya Open nearly two months back. In these two months, Shubhankar played four events including the Hero Indian Open 2025, and made the cut in all of them.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rajiv P.
Great comeback from Shubhankar after that rough start in Shanghai! 69 is solid, hope he keeps this momentum going. The eagle must have felt amazing 💪
S
Sunita K.
Haotong Li is on fire! 14 rounds in the 60s out of 19 is insane consistency. Shubhankar needs to step up his putting game if he wants to compete with these guys.
A
Amit S.
That double bogey on the ninth must have been frustrating, but overall a decent round. Hope he makes the cut this time! #GoShubhankar
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Priya M.
The competition looks tough this week with so many players under par. Shubhankar needs more birdies to climb up the leaderboard. Rooting for him! 🏌️‍♂️
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Vikram D.
Respectfully, I think Shubhankar needs to work on his mental game. The inconsistency between rounds is worrying - 82 to 69 shows he has the skills but maybe needs better course management.
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Neha R.
The Blackstone Course looks beautiful from the photos! Tough track but Shubhankar seems to be handling it well so far. That eagle must have been a highlight reel shot!

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