Binu goes 9-under to lead day one Chhattisgarh Open field

Bangalore golfer Shaurya Binu on his way into the day one lead of the SECL Chhattisgarh Open in New Raipur on Tuesday. Image courtesy PGTI.

By Rahul Banerji

Shaurya Binu led the field after day one of the inaugural Rs 1 crore SECL Chhattisgarh Open with a 9 under par 60 at the Fairway Golf & Lake Resort in New Raipur on Tuesday.

The pristine, Par-69 venue saw low scores recorded at the event presented by Chhattisgarh Tourism, the PGTI said.

Delhi’s Harshjeet Singh Sethie and Honey Baisoya, and Karnal’s Mani Ram returned 8 under 61s on the Par-69 course for shared second place.

Binu, a two-time winner on the PGTI last season, began the day with three birdies in the first five holes with putts from between 10 and 20 feet. The only blip in his round was a bogey on hole six where he three-putted.

The 20-year-old from Bangalore rebounded with two birdies and an eagle on the next three holes where he made two conversions from 10 to 15 feet.

Binu then picked up three more strokes on the back nine with some quality wedge shots and a mammoth 35-foot conversion on hole 17.

Rolling well

“I really enjoyed playing at the Fairway Golf & Lake Resort for the first time. The greens are rolling well and in great condition,” Binu said later.

“I was eager to start this week well since I missed the cut in the first two events of the season. I’ve been focusing on my swing and rhythm. The effort is to keep the same tempo. I executed that well today.

“After the practice round, I realised one can miss it on the right on this course. I then planned accordingly for the tournament.

“Even though it’s a short course, it offers a variety of challenges such as playing some of the Par-3s in headwind while looking to hit the comparatively smaller greens. The hazards and out of bounds come into play on most holes.”

Sethie, a winner on the PGTI in 2023, made two chip-ins and rolled in a couple of putts from 30 to 50 feet during his outstanding round of 61.

Honey Baisoya made birdies on his first five holes during his round of 61 to be part of a three-way tie for second place while Mani Ram had no blips on his card for the day.

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