Gurgaon golfer Manu Gandas fired a record-equalling three eagles on his way into a share of the opening day lead at the inaugural Chennai Pro Championship on Tuesday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Manu Gandas fired a record-equalling three eagles on his way into the lead alongside Yashas Chandra M.S. and Syed Saqib Ahmed on 5 under par 67 in the inaugural Chennai Pro Championship at the TNGF Cosmo course on Tuesday.
Gurgaon golfer Gandas, currently second on the Tata Steel PGTI order of merit made good use of the revamped Cosmo layout to soar up the leaderboard along with Mysore’s consistent Chandra and Bangalore golfer Ahmed.
Six players were tied for fourth on 4 under 68 at the Rs 50 lakh event including Tokyo Olympian Udayan Mane and Chennai-based professional S. Prasanth, the PGTI said.
Gandas, the 2022 PGTI Order of Merit champion, made a terrific start, going birdie-eagle-birdie on the first three holes with the eagle being an 18-feet conversion.
He then dropped six strokes between holes 4 and 15 in exchange for three birdies, mostly as a result of errant tee shots that resulted in several missed fairways and greens.
Yashas Chandra M.S., one of four to have recorded three eagles in a single PGTI round in action at the TNGF Cosmo course on Tuesday. Image courtesy PGTI.
On the rebound
A winner at Kolkata’s Tollygunge Club earlier this season, Gandas however bounced back with two more eagles on holes 16 and 18 with a second 18-foot putt and a tap-in to become only the fourth player in PGTI history to record three eagles in a round.
The three players who have previously achieved the feat are two-time Indian Open champion Ali Sher, Yashas Chandra and Gandas’ good friend Veer Ahlawat.
A winner at the venue in 2022, Gandas said, “Wherever I was good off the tee today, I created chances for myself. But some poor shots off the tee also got me into trouble.
“It was a rollercoaster round. I was gaining shots and then dropping a few. But I managed to close it out well. It was a mixed bag. If you’re well-placed off the tee at this course, I feel it’s half the job done.
“I’ve been a little inconsistent off late so on the bad days I’m conscious that I need to hang in there. That’s what I did well today.
Cashing in
“Importantly, I capitalised on the par 5s, making eagles on three of them and birdie on the fourth. The fact that I won at this course two years back adds to my confidence this week.”
Yashas Chandra, who also has the distinction of firing three eagles in a single round on the PGTI in 2019, joined Gandas at the top of the pack thanks to his seven birdies and two bogeys.
Bangalore’s Syed Saqib Ahmed, the third of the opening day’s joint leaders, tees off on Tuesday. Image courtesy PGTI.
Syed Saqib Ahmed made eight birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey on the day to emerge as the third joint leader.
As the Cosmo track underwent significant changes last year, the score of 67 now stands as the new course record.
Also read: Chennai Pro Championship tees off at Cosmo course from Tuesday
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