Rashid Khan takes round one lead at Players Championship

By Rahul Banerji

Delhi professional Rashid Khan grabbed the round one lead with a 6-under-66 at the Tata Steel PGTI Players Championship at the Panchkula Golf Club course near Chandigarh on Tuesday.

Mysore-based Yashas Chandra fired a record three eagles during his round of 5-under-67 to sit in second place along with five others including the Tricity’s Ranjit Singh and Angad Cheema.

Rashid, currently second in the PGTI Order of Merit and already a winner this year, used his wedges to good effect to set up four of his seven birdies. Hiss only blemish was a bogey on the closing hole where he overhit the green.

Rashid later said, “I did well when I was just short of the green or on the front edge. I took advantage of all the shorter holes like the first, sixth and eighth. The key on this course will be to execute well when you’re within 50 yards of the green. The chip-putts will be tough and one has to land it in the right places.

‘Good form’

“I’ve been riding on some good form coming into this week with a win and four other top-10s this year including at the Indian Open. The game’s been solid and this week it’ll be all about adjusting well to the conditions here.”

Yashas 24, became only the third on the PGTI to make three eagles in a round that also included three birdies and two double-bogeys. The 2018 PGTI Emerging Player of the Year began with a double-bogey but fought his way back on the very next hole by driving the green to set up a 10-foot eagle conversion.

Eagle run

Yashas’ other two eagles came on the front none, one with a long putt and the second when he drove the green and putted from 10 feet.

The two to have previously made three eagles in a round at a PGTI event are two-time Indian Open champion Ali Sher and Veer Ahlawat. Ali Sher also achieved his feat at the PGTI Players Championship at Panchkula in 2010 while Ahlawat did the same at the Tata Open 2017 at the Golmuri Golf Club in Jamshedpur.

Chandra said, “My driving and putting were outstanding today. It’s great to have the rare distinction of shooting three eagles in a round. All of them being eagle-twos was even more special.

“I’ve had a consistent run so far this year including a runner-up finish, another top-10 and three top-20s. So that has given me a lot of confidence coming into this week.”   

Chandigarh’s Ranjit Singh, also tied second, was on fire on the front nine as he drove the green on the par-4 first hole and sank a 10-footer to begin the tournament with an eagle. The 44-year-old’s second eagle of the day came as a result of a chip-in on the par-4 sixth. He also made three more birdies and two bogeys on the front-nine to be five-under at the turn. The seasoned professional had a sedate back nine, keeping the errors to a minimum.

The three other golfers in joint second were Gurugram-based Tapy Ghai, Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow and Bengaluru’s Syed Saqib Ahmed.

Defending champion N. Thangaraja of Sri Lanka was T59 with a 74.

Gallacher, Wallace up for Hero Challenge

In Southport, UK,world number 36Matt Wallace has set his sights on not only the upcoming British Masters, but also the Hero Challenge, which is held before the blue riband event.

A year ago, he was way down the world rankings before he won the Hero Indian Open and moved into the fast lane to get into top 50.

The Hero Challenge is an annual three-event series, held during the weeks of the British Masters, the Scottish Open and the season-ending DP World Championships.

Wallace, one of the six stars competing in the pre-event Hero Challenge, said, “Of course, I remember India last year. Still to this day, probably the biggest tournament I’ve won. To get to where I am today, I had to win that event to then set me up for the rest of the year.

“Being my second European Tour event, the first one wasn’t a fluke sort of thing, and this one backed it up in India, and to finish it off the way I did, as well, in my first-ever playoff was pretty special.”

It’s not just Wallace, who has an affinity for Hero, for less than six weeks ago, Stephen Gallacher, ended a title drought that lasted more than five years by winning the Hero Indian Open.

Wallace is adept at winning pre-event mini-events like he did by taking the Par-3 competition at the Masters. Both, Wallace and Gallacher are hoping to tune up at the Hero Challenge before the British Masters.

Apart from Gallacher and Wallace, the other four are British Open host Tommy Fleetwood and the Race to Dubai winner in 2017; two-time Major winner, Martin Kaymer, Alex Levy, winner of the inaugural Hero Challenge in 2016; and Charley Hull, who plays both the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA, where she three Top-10s in five Majors in 2018.