Austrian Alpine Open 2026: Yuvraj Sandhu Battles Back After Nightmare Start but Faces Uphill Task

Indian golfer Yuvraj Sandhu endured a challenging opening day at the Austrian Alpine Open, carding a 1-over-par 71 to finish tied 100th after the first round of the DP World Tour event.

As the lone Indian in the field, Sandhu faced an uphill battle almost immediately after teeing off, dropping multiple shots during a difficult opening stretch. While he showed resilience to fight his way back into contention during the middle part of the round, a pair of late bogeys ultimately left him over par and well behind the leaders. With the course yielding low scores across the field, Sandhu will need a strong second-round performance if he hopes to make his fourth cut of the season.

Sandhu's round could hardly have started in a worse fashion. Beginning his day on the front nine, the Indian found himself under pressure from the outset as he recorded three consecutive bogeys. The difficult opening sequence was compounded by a double bogey on the fifth hole, leaving him five over par after just five holes.

On a course where birdies were available and scoring conditions proved favourable for much of the field, the early mistakes immediately placed Sandhu at a disadvantage. The opening stretch highlighted the fine margins at DP World Tour events, where poor starts can quickly become difficult to recover from, particularly when competitors around you are posting low numbers.

At that stage, the priority shifted from chasing a strong opening score to simply limiting further damage and rebuilding momentum.

To his credit, Sandhu responded impressively after the disastrous start. Rather than allowing the round to unravel, he began to claw his way back into contention with a series of birdies. The turnaround started towards the end of the front nine when he produced three consecutive birdies. The run immediately changed the complexion of his round and provided much-needed momentum heading into the back nine.

The recovery continued with further birdies on the 12th and 13th holes, helping Sandhu erase the damage from his difficult opening stretch and return to even par. For a player who had been five over after five holes, reaching level par represented a significant turnaround and showcased the fighting qualities that have made him one of India's most promising golfers.

At that point, a sub-par round even appeared within reach.

However, Sandhu was unable to completely eliminate mistakes from his card. A bogey on the 14th hole halted some of the momentum he had built, although he quickly responded with a birdie on the 16th to return to even par once again. Unfortunately for the Indian, another dropped shot on the 17th proved costly.

The late bogey meant Sandhu signed for a 1-over 71, leaving him tied for 100th position at the end of the opening day. While the score itself is not disastrous, the low-scoring nature of the tournament means the cut line is likely to be significantly under par. As a result, Sandhu will need a much stronger second round to extend his stay into the weekend.

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At the top of the leaderboard, 18-year-old Chinese golfer Yanhan Zhou stole the spotlight with a sensational opening round of 8-under 62. The teenager, the youngest player in the field this week, recorded seven birdies, one eagle and just a single bogey to establish himself as the first-round leader. His performance placed him one shot clear of Portugal's Ricardo Gouveia, who carded a 7-under 63 to occupy second place.

A group of six players shared third position on 6-under 64, including former Ryder Cup player Rafa Cabrera Bello. The Spaniard, who won in Austria back in 2009, was joined by Marcel Schneider, Tobias Jonsson, Davis Bryant, Lucas Bjerregaard and Brandon Robinson Thompson. The leaderboard reflects the scoring opportunities available on the course and further underlines the challenge facing players who failed to get under par on the opening day.

Despite ending the day outside the projected cut mark, Sandhu can draw encouragement from the way he recovered after his difficult opening five holes. Many players would have struggled to recover from being five over par so early in the round. Instead, the Indian demonstrated resilience and produced a stretch of golf that briefly brought him back to level par.

The challenge now is translating that positive middle section of the round into a complete performance on day two. With the leaders already at eight under and scores expected to remain low, Sandhu will likely need an aggressive approach in the second round. A clean card combined with multiple birdie opportunities could still give him a chance to climb the leaderboard and secure a weekend berth.

For now, the Indian remains in the tournament, but Friday's round has become a crucial test of his ability to respond under pressure at the highest level.