By Rahul Banerji
Kapil Kumar, in solid form these past few weeks, set a blistering pace at the Rs 1.5 crore Tata Steel Tour Championship in Jamshedpur on Thursday, blazing his way to a 10-under 62 at the Golmuri course.
The 27-year-old from Delhi was on fire from the word go, putting six birdies against his name before the turn and then keeping the round error-free as he picked up a further four shots to lead a quality field by one shot.
Two-time Indian Open winner S.S.P. Chawrasia, who now plies his trade on the European Tour and is back at the Steel City after 12 years, handed in a 9-under card of 63 to stay in touch with Kapil.
The international contingent’s performance was further bolstered by 6-under rounds from Indian golf’s path-breaker Jeev Milkha Singh, and Gaganjeet Bhullar.
On a cold morning that also saw a drizzle for about 20 minutes, Rashid Khan, PGTI Order of Merit leader, was tied third on 8-under 64 alongside Bangalore’s Khalin Joshi, Shankar Das of Kolkata and Bangladesh’s Md Zamal Hossain Mollah.
Clear goal
Rashid needs to win at Jamshedpur or at least finished sole second to get the required Official Golf World Ranking points to seal his place in the top 200 in the world ratings.
Kapil, fresh from tied fifth and tied 14th place finishes in his last two events at Kolkata and Bangalore, continued to mine his good run of form on the day.
Currently 38th on the PGTI’s money list, Kapil hit his stride early as he raced to six-under after his first nine holes on the back nine. The light-eyed golfer’s consistent iron-play and accurate work with his wedges saw him set up four of his birdies within seven feet of the flag.
Kapil’s brilliant driving and tee shots then contributed to a further four birdies on his inbound nine. He landed his approach from 170 yards to within a foot of the pin on the eighth for his last birdie of the day.
Still searching for his first title, Kapil then narrowly missed a chip-putt birdie on the closing ninth.
Confidence personified
Kapil said, “I’ve drawn a lot of confidence from my performances over the last two weeks. I shot four low scores and was the leader for the first three rounds in Kolkata and the halfway leader in Bangalore.
“I feel I’m continuing from where I left off in Bangalore though my chipping was better today. I’m more comfortable with my chip shots, an aspect that troubled me over the last two weeks.
“Putting I feel will hold the key this week. I need to keep putting well just like I did today. My best birdie today was the 15-feet conversion on the 16th.”
Chawrasia’s 63 was marked by an eagle on the second hole, four birdies on the front nine and three more on his way back.
The Kolkata-based professional, who has retained his European Tour card, started well as he landed his approach from 200 yards on the par-5 second within four feet to set up an eagle.
High tempo
SSP, winner of three Tata Open titles in Jamshedpur, then chipped it within a foot for birdie on the third that set the tempo for the rest of his round as he kept hitting it close.
The four-time winner on the European Tour said, “I’m playing with a lot of confidence having retained my European Tour card recently.
“This week I’m also feeling the effects of having previously won three titles in Jamshedpur. A good result here would help me end the year on a high and just give me much-needed momentum for next year.
“I performed well in all aspects of the game today and the good start to the round set it up nicely for me.
“A lot has changed at Golmuri since I last played here. The layout is totally different now except for a couple of holes. The course is a lot tighter and narrower than before and therefore more challenging.”
Blistering run
Khalin Joshi had an incredible run of five straight birdies on the back nine during his round of 64, while Jeev, playing his first ever competitive round at Golmuri, mixed eight birdies with two bogeys in his round of 66.
Jeev said, “It’s an amazing layout here at Golmuri. One needs to shape the ball well and distance control is important. I’m happy with my solid start and consistent round.
“I was good off the tee and with my second shots. I landed it close and made some quality chip-putts. I’ll look to build on this effort over the next three days.”
Jyoti Randhawa, another India star in action this week, shot a 69 on day one to be tied 27th.
Bengaluru’s Chikkarangappa S, currently second in the PGTI’s money list and the only other contender for the Order of Merit crown besides Rashid Khan, made a quiet start with a 71 for s share of 45th place.
Also read: Chinnappa, Sudhir, Kapil in three-way tie for lead at KGA
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