Experienced Chandigarh golfer Ram Pal led the field after round one of the PGTI’s 2026 Q School Final Stage at the Kensville course near Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Chandigarh’s Ram Pal held the lead after round one of the PGTI’s Final Stage of Qualifying School 2026 at Kensville Golf & Country Club near Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
The 46-year-old posted a 4 under par 68 to head a 131-strong field that is bidding for 47 spots guaranteeing them playing rights for the year, the PGTI said.
Six golfers were tied for second place on 2 under 70 including Jhared Hack of the US, along with Dhruv Suri, Jujhar Singh, Joysurjo Dey, Manav Bais and amateur Pritish Singh Karayat.
Teenager Kartik Singh was tied eighth on 71 while Shubham Jaglan was a further shot back in tied 12th.
Ram Pal put together an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys in his opening round effort, holing out from 90 yards for his eagle on the sixth hole.
He sank a couple of birdie putts from between 15 and 25 feet and also left himself two short birdie putts with some immaculate approach shots.
Full recovery
“I couldn’t play events last year due to an injury,” Ram Pal said later.
“I’ve fully recovered now and my performance at the Pre-Qualifying event here at Kensville has given me a lot of confidence.
“I made a poor start at the Pre-Q but came back strong in round two with a solid 72 to make the cut for the Final Stage.
“Today, I felt that I planned my round really well. My driving and putting were also top-class. It’s a great start to the Final Stage and I’ll look to capitalise on that.”
The top 80 players (plus ties) will make the cut after round two of Final Qualifying. At the end of round four, the top 47 will earn their full cards for the 2026 PGTI season.
Also read: US golfer Hack tops Pre-Q III as 26 complete Final Stage field
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