New Delhi, India, March 28: Read what the players have to say following round one at the Hero Indian Open.

Stephen Gallacher (Sco) First round 67 (-5)

It was a perfect morning. Cool to start with and then it heated up later on in the round, and not too much wind, so it was perfect today.

I think you have to get it in play off the tee, there is just so much trouble. I think if you get the tee shot in place you can hit a couple of nice iron shots and take advantage of the par fours that are quite short, drive a couple, and knock it onto the par fives.

It is quite a strategic course. I don’t think you need to be the longest player on the Tour to play it, I think you’ve just got to plot your way around it.

I have started poorly to be honest, I’ve had a sort of big miss in the bag that has been costing me triples and doubles, so hopefully, I knew I was close last week, I played lovely but just didn’t get anything out of it, but coming back to a place where I’ve played well hopefully I can draw on some inspiration from last year.

Julian Suri (Usa) First round 67 (-5)

It was a good day. My caddie Dermot, he keeps encouraging me and calls me the Greatest Showman sometimes after the movie, so I had to give him a little show there. I got the all clear about four or fives weeks ago from the doctor and last week in Malaysia was my first event. With the heat there and all the conditions, the body felt great and the swing felt good too, and it’s obviously still a work in progress but to shoot a score like this, on a course like this, is a good sign going forward. It’s a great test. It’s very dramatic and provokes the imagination a little bit so I enjoy it.

Prom Meesawat (Tha) First round 68 (-4)

It is a very tough golf course, you have to keep your ball n the fairway and try and hit as many as greens as you can. I didn’t make a lot of mistakes, made a couple of bad tee shots but still kept it in play so I am very pleased with my round today.

I hit a really good drive on my 17^th hole and was thinking I could get on the green in two shots. But it was a very tough pin position and I didn’t commit fully to the shot. I should have just laid up instead of going for it like how I did with my three-iron and ended up missing the green left.

I wasn’t too confident in my game coming into this week because I haven’t been hitting my driver very well. But I just tried to hit the fairway as much as I can and keep my ball in play. With my distance I could go for a lot of greens in two. I just need to be confident in my game and use my distance to my advantage.

Pablo Larrazabal (Esp) First round 68 (-4)

The conditions were perfect and this is a great golf course. If you hit alright from the tee, or out it in the short grass then it’s not that long, and the greens as good as they are you can hole putts. Very happy starting last year with five under, this year four under, hopefully I can go four better than last year.

I like great golf courses and I love to putt on good greens, and these are probably the best of the season. I didn’t play my best today from the tee but I allowed myself to keep the ball alive and not put myself into too much trouble, and trying to make birdies when I can.

Robert Karlsson (Swe) First round 68 (-4)

It was one of those things, I just got this feeling over the wedge. I saw Dean Burmester hit it just right of the flag, and thought this is the perfect distance for me, and when I was over the ball I thought ‘this could go in’ and when it when in I was like ‘yep’. So that happens sometimes. It’s not easy but it was just one of those shots.

On the eighth hole, I played really well, hit a driver and six iron to the back, and chipped it in from probably 25 feet, so that was great. I don’t think I have ever done two eagles in a row, I have done two in a round but not two back-to-back so that’s pretty cool.

This is one of the most brutal golf courses I have ever played, it’s fantastic because you get found out when you are doing good and when you are not doing so good. Any slight miss and it’s trouble. It is a fabulous week to be here and definitely one of the best courses we play condition wise that is going to test where you are.

Shubhankar Sharma (Ind) First round 69 (-3)

I think I played very well today didn’t make too many mistakes. I missed a couple of key putts on my front nine. Made a silly mistake on six and seven but apart from those holes I am pretty happy with how I finished.

(About his second shot on the par-five fourth hole) I hit it decent but not quite how I wanted to execute it. I ended up with a decent lie so fortunately I was lucky with where it ended up and hit it close enough to make an eagle.

The greens are a lot softer compared to last year. Three-under-par is a good score to start out the tournament especially on this golf course, you need to have a good start to keep the momentum going the next few days so I am pretty happy with how I did.

Scott Hend (Aus) First round 69 (-3)

After my 17^th and 18^th hole we thought we would be flying tomorrow night. I three-putted the 17^th and hit two balls into the water hazard on hole 18 which was a bit of a nightmare. To come back after that was great, and I think so far this year this was the best round that I have played.

I just told myself to get over those holes and concentrate on what I was doing. It’s just one of those golf courses where if you hit a bad shot, you start getting defensive. And I just had to remind myself to not be defensive and keep playing how I have been playing. That’s the hardest part about it, you have to be strong mentally.

There wasn’t wind out there’s so I could still hit my three-wood and driver off the tees. I was quite fortunate with the conditions out there today.

I drove it on the green on hole nine and has a good two-putt for birdie, which were both really tough putts, so to have ended with three birdies after a bad front nine was a good way to give the round some sort of respectfulness.

Masahiro Kawamura (Jpn) First round 69 (-3)

My tee shots helped me a lot today. I missed some easy putts but overall pretty happy with my round. The last time I played here I missed the cut, so to come back this time and shoot under-par is great for me.

Hole number four I chipped in from 40 yards for eagle and that was the highlight of my round. I think my form is coming back and this time I think I am more mature with how I played. There is a lot of trouble out on this course but I was lucky to hit out of bounds once and only lose one ball in the water hazard. Hopefully I will keep hitting my driver good the next few days.