Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand and Subhankar Sharma of India struck a pair of magnificent 64s to share the clubhouse lead

as locals failed to impress in the opening round of the Bashundhara Bangladesh Open yesterday.

The two youngsters of the Asian Tour circuit sailed through with matching seven-under-pars (64) on what proved to be a relatively low-scoring round at the Kurmitola Golf Club on Wednesday. The rest of the 132-man field, especially the local contingent, were however were left lagging far behind and resigned to blaming the fast pace of the greens in their own backyard.

22-year-old Jazz, who traded six birdies and an eagle for only one bogey, said not making any mistakes was the key to his posting a good score.

“Everything just came together. I didn’t play that great today but somehow I managed to shoot a low score," Janewattananond said at the end of his day's play. "I didn't make any big mistakes. I was able to hit most of the fairways. To shoot one eagle and six birdies against a bogey in a round, it's very good for me."

"I am very happy with how I played today. I am planning to get some good food and some good rest tonight. It's going to be an early day out for me tomorrow," he added.

India's Sharma, a year younger than Janewattananond, mixed nine birdies with two bogeys to end the day on a high.

"Everything was good for me today.

The shots that I missed, I didn't miss by much. It could have been better. I have been playing well. I am just riding on my good form. I was hoping to get a good start to the week and I did," said the Indian.

While it seemed easy going for these foreign golfers, it proved pretty difficult for the hosts, who have 39 participants in this event. Jamal

Hossain Mollah, Mohammad Nazim and Robin Miah were the best-placed locals with matching one-under pars.

Jamal exchanged three birdies for two bogeys to finish the day tied for 16th, alongside his two unheralded compatriots. The two-time PGTI winner said he found it hard to get used to the change in green speed.

"It was easier for the Thai golfers as they play on these fast greens round the year while we had to switch from playing on a sluggish surface to a fast one in a matter of days. We made higher scores in BPGA events as the greens were softer during those events," Jamal said. "However, it's not the end and there is ample time for us to rebound."

Bangladesh's premier golfer Siddikur Rahman made amends for a false start by racking up three late birdies. The two-time Asian Tour winner had a disastrous front nine where he played a triple bogey on the fourth hole, but bounced back late with birdies on the 14th, 17th and 18th holes as he ended the day with an even-par score.

Shakhawat Hossain Sohel, Bangladesh's best performer in the previous two editions, was however staring at an early exit with a five-over-par (76).