Day one Kolar Open leader Shaurya Bhattacharya of Delhi studies a putt at the Zion Hills course near Bangalore on Tuesday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Shaurya Bhattacharya held a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Rs 1 crore Kolar Open presented by Zion Hills Golf County near Bangalore on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old, a two-time winner on the DP World PGTI and 16th in the rankings, made an eagle and four birdies against two bogeys to card a 4 under par 68, the DP World PGTI said.
Bhattacharya began with a par before sparking off his round on the par-five second, where he chipped in for eagle.
The Delhi golfer followed that with a bunker shot to about two feet for birdie on the third and chipped to within a foot on the fourth, moving to 4-under after his opening four holes.
He picked up two more shots on the back nine, making birdies on 11 and 13 but dropped shots on eight and 12.
A 15-foot conversion on 13 helped steady his round before Bhattacharya finished with a run of pars for the outright lead.
Gurgaon’s Dhruv Sheoran, Arjun Sharma from Greater Noida and Bangladesh’s Badal Hossain were tied for second on under 69.
Hyderabad’s Mohd Azhar and last week’s winner Shubham Jaglan shared fifth place on 2 under 70. Jaglan arrived in Bangalore after securing his maiden professional title at the Coal India Open in Kolkata.
Fast start
Bhattacharya, who was runner-up by two shots in the inaugural edition at Kolar last year, was pleased to take advantage of his fast start.
“Getting to four-under through the first four holes gave me early momentum,” he said.
“The course played tough, especially as the greens became firmer towards the end, but I stayed patient on the back nine and managed to put together a very good round.”
The Delhi golfer believes the combination of length, wind and large greens gives Zion Hills a character different from most venues on the DP World PGTI.
“It is a really good test of golf and unlike most courses we play,” Bhattacharya said.
“There is plenty of wind and the greens are huge, which makes the pin positions particularly important. I played well here last year, so I’m looking forward to the next three rounds.”
Sheoran, 12th on the money list, admitted he arrived at the tournament without complete confidence in his game. Rather than chase a score, he focused on keeping the ball in play and creating opportunities around the greens.
“My game has not been where I would like it to be, so the plan was simple,” said Sheoran.
“I wanted to keep the ball in play, give myself opportunities around the greens and convert as many birdie chances as possible. Fortunately, I managed to hole a few putts.”
The Gurgaon player also benefited from relatively manageable conditions during his opening round.
“The wind was fairly kind to us, and I hope the conditions remain similar over the next few rounds,” he added.
Par run
Current DP World PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar, who spent the summer competing on the HotelPlanner Tour, returned an even-par 72 to share 11th place alongside Ajeetesh Sandhu, Yuvraj Singh and Md Muaj.
Defending champion Kshitij Naveed Kaul of Delhi opened with a one-over 73 for tied 15th place. Starting from the 10th tee, Kaul made an eagle on the par-five 18th, his ninth hole of the day.
Only 14 from the field of 132 shot par or better, underlining the challenge presented by the par-72 layout.
Measuring 7,330 yards, Zion Hills is one of the longest courses in India.
Its four par-three holes are longer than usual, while the closing stretches on both nines, holes seven to nine and 16 to 18, demand accuracy and patience.
Water is in play on most holes across a course featuring 10 lakes, with the eighth regarded as one of its most treacherous tests. Hole 13t is an island green.
Also read: Jaglan wins Coal India Open for his maiden DP World PGTI title
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