Kyoto, Sep 24 - Gaganjeet Bhullar, one of the hottest golfers on the Asian scene this year, was the best among Indians at the end of the opening round of the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open. He recovered well to card an even par 72 to be 28th on the leaderboard.

Jyoti Randhawa shot a 72 to be in the 44th while Digvijay singh (74) was 71st and Shiv Kapur struggled with a 76 in 101st place.

Singapore's Lam Chih Bing shared the first round lead Thursday, three days after surviving a freak accident which could have blinded an eye.

The Asian Tour standout fired a superb five-under-par 66, thanks to five birdies on his inward nine, at the Joyo Country Club, but admitted later he was lucky after countryman Mardan Mamat accidently hit him in the face with a driver during Monday's practice round.

Bhullar said, 'I didn't play great, didn't have a great start with two bogeys in three holes. I was one over till my 17th and then birdied the last hole for even par.

'The course here is a bit tough for Asian players as the greens are different from those in Asia. It's true and fast here and considering the conditions, even par is alright for me. I could have saved two or three shots but that's fine with me. I will try to improve tomorrow. The ball tends to break from the left but it's from the right. That's the confusion that the Asians will have to deal with, said Bhullar, who on Sunday scored a win on the Indian PGTI Tour for his fifth win in five starts.