By Rahul Banerji
Khalin Joshi, Arjun Prasad and Italian rookie Michele Ortolani shared the lead on the opening day of the Rs 1 crore Nissan Chandigarh Open.
All three fired sizzling 8 under par 64s at the Chandigarh Golf Club on Wednesday with local favourite Karandeep Kochhar a shot behind in fourth place.
Other TriCity players in the top 10 were Ajeetesh Sandhu and Angad Cheema (T5 on 66s) and Gaganjeet Bhullar (T8 on 67).
Indian golf legend Jeev Milkha Singh struck a 69 to share 20th place and his 14-year-old son Harjai, playing as an amateur also started impressively with a 1 under 71 to be tied 41st.
Bangalore’s Joshi shot a flawless round that included two long birdie conversions and some great wedge shots on the back nine that produced an eagle and two more birdies.
It was a welcome return to form for the international winner, who holed out from 60 yards for eagle on hole 16 and followed up with another hole-out on 17 from 40 yards for birdie.
Swing switch
“I had been working on my swing recently and this week I moved back to my earlier swing which worked out well for me,” Joshi said.
“I was also excellent with my wedges today. It wasn’t a day where I hit it really well off the tee but managed to keep it in play for the most part and that paid dividends.”
Ortolani, Khalin’s playing partner, had an eagle, nine birdies and three bogeys on his card, starting off with the eagle and four birdies on his first six holes to set the pace.
Ortolani said, “Starts like this don’t happen every day so I’m happy that I made the most of it. I was back home in Italy for three weeks since I was not eligible for the last three joint-sanctioned events on the PGTI.
“As a result, I was eager and motivated to get back. As Khalin and I were playing in the same group, I felt our positive energy rubbed off on each other.”
The Delhi-based Arjun Prasad made an eagle like his co-leaders, besides eight birdies against two dropped shots.
Solid start
Teenager Harjai Milkha Singh made a solid start firing three birdies against two bogeys.
“I was a little nervous in the morning but after the first few holes I settled down well,” he said later.
“The standout moments of my round included landing my approach shot within a foot of the flag for birdie on hole nine and the 20-foot birdie conversion on 17.”
Speaking about his son’s first-ever round at a professional event, Jeev said, “At the start of the day, I was more nervous for Harjai than for myself.
“However, I’m very proud of his effort and just want him to keep it going. I’ve always told him to let his clubs do all the talking. I think he’s headed in the right direction.”
Also read: Inaugural Nissan Chandigarh Open to tee off on Wednesday
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