Defending champion Anton Haig fired three birdies and two bogeys to score an unimpressive 1-under-par 71 and land on the 36th spot of the first round of the Johnnie Walker Classic Golf in India Thursday.

The 21-year-old champ, however, vowed to do better on the second round today although he stressed that he is there to enjoy the game with no pressure to win another title at all. He’s got much work to do to overtake first round leaders  Shamin Khan and Daniel Vancsik, who both fired 5-under-par 67.

Anton burst into the scene in the 2006 season with a dominant performance at the Pulai Springs Malaysian Masters in Johor, Malaysia when he lifted his maiden Asian Tour title.    

He led from start to finish thanks to the borrowed driver from countryman Nico Van Rensburg. He enjoyed a strong start to the season when he finished tied third in the Dimension Data Pro-Am in South Africa and then claimed his Asian Tour card from Qualifying School in Malaysia by finishing tied 14th.

Haig did not keep his UBS Order of Merit ranking as he failed to play his minimum 10 events in 2006. in 2007, Anton claimed international headlines when he won the tri-sanctioned Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand, beating his heroes Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. Anton birdied the 18th hole twice in the final round, first to get into a play-off against Richard Sterne and Oliver Wilson, and then holing a 10-foot birdie in extra time to clinch his biggest career victory yet, which came with a two-year exemption onto the European Tour.

Anton has been touted as a star by Els and Goosen. Awarded his junior national colours at the age of 14 and subsequently represented South Africa in various championships. In 2005, he won on the Southern African Sunshine Tour, claiming victory in the Seekers Travel Pro-Am.