By Rahul Banerji
Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha fired a flawless eight-under 62 for the round one lead of the Jaipur Open at Rambagh Golf Club course on Wednesday.
Ahmedabad’s Anshul Patel returned a season-best six-under 64 to hold second place at the Rs. 40 lakh event presented by Rajasthan Tourism, the PGTI said.
Four golfers were tied for third with scores of 65 — Chandigarh’s Amrit Lal and Akshay Sharma, Kolkata’s Arjun Puri and Mari Muthu R. of Bangalore.
The best-placed among Jaipur-based golfers were professional Girraj Singh Khadka and amateur Manoviraj Shekhawat, both in tied 29th with one-under 69s.
Yuvraj Singh Sandhu of Chandigarh, a pre-tournament favourite and the winner on the PGTI last week, struck a 71 to be tied 57th.
Chadha, who began his round from the 10th tee, cashed in on the three par-5s with an eagle and two birdies finding the green in two on all three occasions.
Chadha also sank a 25-footer for birdie on the 15th.
A three-time winner on the PGTI whose last title came in December 2021, Chadha made further gains on the front nine with two long birdie conversions and a chip-putt birdie.
Staying steady
“I kept doing the right things and kept a steady head even though the conditions kept changing through the day being cloudy and sunny both,” Chadha said later.
“The most important thing this week is to not get too ahead of yourself and take things as they come. Making two birdies at the end was good for the confidence going into the next round.
“The course is playing great and fortunately we had ideal weather conditions today so that came as a welcome relief for the players.”
Anshul Patel, who was hitting his approach shots to perfection on the day sank a couple of 12-foot putts when he made three birdies in quick succession.
A bogey on 18 was the only blemish on his card.
The left-handed Patel then picked up the pace once again with birdies after the turn and an eagle, a stretch where he produced two terrific approach shots and a 20-foot conversion.
Anshul said, “I’ve been playing solid golf but all aspects of my game were not coming together for some time.
“Today I shot my best score of the season so I’m quite satisfied with my effort. I missed a few short putts but my accurate approach shots were the highlight of my round.
“I feel the second, third, fourth, 11th and 15th holes are the ones to watch out for as they are tighter compared to the others.”
Also read: Jaipur Open tees off on Wednesday; Sandhu is among favourites
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