By Rahul Banerji
Saarthak Chhibber, Varun Chopra, Mani Ram and Angad Cheema shared the day one Gujarat Open lead at the Glade One course in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Young guns Chibber and Chopra were joined by the seasoned duo of Ram and Cheema on 3 under par 33 at the Rs 1 crore event that is being played over nine holes on the first two days.
Ten players were bunched in tied fifth on 2-under 34 including Tata Steel PGTI Ranking leader Shaurya Binu of Bangalore.
They had rookie pro Shaurya Bhattacharya, the only player to make an eagle in round one, for company, the PGTI said.
The first two rounds of the event will be played over nine holes each with the cut falling after 18 holes.
The third and fourth rounds will be over 18 holes each for a tournament total of 54 holes. The par score for the first two rounds is 36.
While Mani Ram and Cheema produced bogey-free rounds, Delhi’s Chhibber and the US-based Chopra fired four birdies and a bogey each on the day.
Hot putter
The 41-year-old Mani Ram of Karnal landed his wedges within five feet for two of his birdies and made a 15-footer conversion on the third.
Mani Ram said, “I’ve been in great hitting form so far this season and that has reflected in my good finishes in the first two events which included a top-10. I maintained that form today.”
Chandigarh golfer Cheema’s three birdies featured two conversions from nine and 10 feet and a short putt as well.
Angad said, “It’s important to get your round going early on when you’re playing just nine holes in a round. That’s what I managed to do today.
“At this course, one requires great precision within a range of 150 yards and there’s a premium on hitting the fairways too as the rough is quite challenging this time.”
Chopra’s first two birdies were a result of his putter being on fire as he sank it from 50 feet on the third and 20 feet on the fourth. He then added two more birdies and a bogey.
Among the prominent names in the field, Rashid Khan (36) was tied 25th, defending champion Aman Raj (37) was tied 47th and Manu Gandas (39) was T82.
Also read: Dominant Binu seals maiden professional win at Vooty Masters
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