By Rahul Banerji
Last year, Karandeep Kochhar just missed out on the domestic Order of Merit title, losing it at virtually the last gasp to Udayan Mane.
On Tuesday, the Chandigarh golfer laid down an early marker with a sizzling 8-under par 64 for the round one lead in the Gujarat Open at the Kalhaar Blues & Greens Golf Club in Ahmedabad.
Yashas Chandra M.S. of Mysore was equally impressive with his 65 to hold second place at the Rs. 40 lakh event, the PGTI said.
Three players tied for third on 66, Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow, Tapy Ghai of Gurgaon and Jaipur-based rookie Prakhar Asawa.
Kochhar, second on the PGTI Order of Merit last year courtesy his two wins, had a quiet start when he bogeyed the first hole and followed it up with pars over the next five.
Kochhar produced a great tee shot on the par-3 seventh that led to his first birdie of the day and set him up for the rest of the round.
He then went on to add eight more including a chip-in on 15 and five conversions from a range of 12 to 15 feet.
Karandeep said later, “The four events I played on the Asian Tour recently were a good experience for me as far as negotiating windy conditions is concerned.
Good experience
“That helped my game in similar conditions today at Kalhaar.
“I would credit the birdie on seven for my turnaround after a slow start. That was a key moment as it got me going for the day.
The birdie on 15 was quite satisfying as it is one of the toughest holes on the course especially with the wind coming into play today. So that too was a confidence booster towards the end of the round.”
Chandra, who hit it close through the day, was 6-under through 12 holes before his first bogey of the day.
Yashas, however, ended the day well with two more birdies on seven and nine.
Yashas said, “Besides the ball-striking, my speed control and stroke on the greens was also exceptional today.
“Hitting is one aspect I’ve worked on in the break before the season and it’s shaping up well now.”
Asawa, making his debut as a professional, scored 10 birdies but gave away four shots in his 66 while Chouhan, who came close to winning last year’s edition, produced eight birdies and two bogeys.
Tapy Ghai made an eagle on eight as well as five birdies and a bogey.
Among the Ahmedabad-based golfers, Anshul Patel was the best-placed with a 1-over 73 to be tied 32nd.
Olympian and reigning PGTI Order of Merit champion Mane began with a 79 to be tied 98th.
Also read: PGTI’s 2022 season tees off with Gujarat Open Golf Championship
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