By Rahul Banerji
His form has been on the upswing lately and Udayan Mane made the most of it to share the opening day lead in the $300,000 Kolkata Challenge with Veer Ahlawat on Thursday.
The two made the most of their familiarity with the Royal Calcutta Golf Club course to hold a one-stroke lead over the field with 5 under par 67s, the Challenge Tour said.
Delhi Challenge winner John Parry led a group of 11 on 4 under 68s including the ever-threatening Akshay Sharma who were on the heels of the two leaders.
Tokyo Olympian Mane had two birdies and a bogey on the front nine before adding four more birdies, including three in a row to set the pace amongst the morning starters.
The 33-year-old, currently 17th on the Tata Steel Professional Golf Tour of India Rankings, said accuracy off the tee had been critical to his strong start at the historic and testing course.
Good lines
“I kept the ball in play where it lies well, and I hit a lot of greens,” he said. “There are 108 hazards around here and in the 18 holes if you don’t hit any of them, you’re doing something right.
“The three birdies in a row at the end of my round was nice. The course does lend itself to that on those three holes, but it’s just good to make it count.
“I also made some good momentum saves and a few nice birdies. I was out of position on a couple of holes, but I made birdie on one and managed to make par on the other.”
Ahlawat had three birdies and an eagle on a bogey-free card to join 2020-21 Order of Merit champion Mane in the lead late in the day.
The 27-year-old was sixth at the RCGC in the S.S.P. Chawrasia Invitational last year, and said course knowledge gave him an advantage on day one.
“Because I’ve played here over the last few years, I know where to miss, and where you can attack certain flags,” he said.
“A few of the flags are tricky and the different grains on the greens are tough too, which can make it difficult to read putts.
Solid round
“I hit 17 greens in regulation, holed a few good putts, and just missed one short putt, but apart from that my round was very smooth. Had a really solid striking day.
“I think I hit it really well off the tee and that is what made it easier for me. To shoot a low round on this course, you have to keep it in play.”
Parry shared third place on four under par with fellow Englishmen Brandon Robinson-Thompson and Andrew Wilson.
Alongside were Robin Sciot-Siegrist and Andoni Etchenique pf France, Chandigarh’s Sharma, Austrian Maximilian Steinlechner, Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Swede Charlie Lindh and Dutchman Wil Besseling.
Round two will see Ahlawat teeing off early alongside Spaniard Joel Moscatel and Finland’s Oliver Lindell, and Mane at noon with home town favourite Arjun Atwal and Dane Lucas Bjerregaard.
Other well-placed Indians on Thursday were Mohammad Sanju, Karan Pratap Singh, Dhruv Sheoran, Tapy Ghai, Sachin Baisoya, Arjun Prasad tied for 14th on 3 under 69.
A larger group that included Atwal and Rahil Gangjee was a further stroke behind on 70.
Leading Indian placings
T1: 5 under 67 Udayan Mane, Veer Ahlawat
T3: 4 under 68 Akshay Sharma
T14: 3 under 69 Mohammad Sanju, Karan Pratap Singh, Dhruv Sheoran, Tapy Ghai, Sachin Baisoya, Arjun Prasad
T30: 2 under 70 Arjun Atwal, Aadil Bedi, Samarth Dwivedi, Rahil Gangjee, Angad Cheema, Jairaj Singh Sandhu, Aman Raj, Sunhit Bishnoi, Mohammad Azhar
T53: 1 under 71 Anshul Patel, Kartik Sharma, Rohan Dhole Patil, Yashas Chandra M.S., Aryan Roopa Anand, Saptak Talwar, Honey Baisoya
T72: level par Kapil Kumar, Rashid Khan, Varun Parikh, Manu Gandas, Om Prakash Chouhan
Also read: Packed Kolkata Challenge field set to face a damp RCGC test
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