Karnal rookie Tushar Pannu on his way into the day one lead of the NexGen series fifth leg at the Imperial Golf Estate in Ludhiana on Tuesday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Tushar Pannu led the way after the opening day of the PGTI’s NexGen fifth leg with a 5 under par 31 at the Imperial Golf Estate in Ludhiana on Tuesday.
The 21-year-old Karnal rookie led Gurgaon’s Kushal Singh (4 under 32) by.a stroke at the par-72 nine-hole course to be played twice to complete a round, the GTI said.
On Tuesday, however, the event’s opening round was reduced to nine holes thanks to a rain delay.
Pannu rode a hot putter to ensure he led the field with an error-free round on Tuesday. He chalked up an eagle on hole six and added three birdies on the day, all from conversions between 12 and 15 feet.
The Karnal player also made a great par save on hole four after an erratic tee shot.
“When you play just nine holes, the effort is to play steady and stay under par,” Pannu said,
“I was looking at two-under today so I’m thrilled that I exceeded my expectations. The putter was on fire as I sank a lot of long putts.
Decent start
“I’ve had a decent start to my professional career this year with a few top-20s under my belt on the PGTI’s main tour. That has given me a lot of confidence coming into this NexGen event.”
Kushal Singh too had a bogey-free round to be hard on the leader’s heels with his 32.
Karnal’s Rohit Narwal, Panchkula-based Abhishek Kumar and Chandigarh’s Vasu Sehgal were tied for third on 3 under 33s.
The tournament offers a prize purse of Rs 20 lakh and marks the debut of professional golf and the PGTI in Ludhiana.
The cut will be applied after round two with the top 36 and ties going through to the final round from.a field of 72.
Lucknow’s Rajesh Kumar Gautam leads the PGTI NexGen Order of Merit with earnings of Rs 4,29,600.
The Order of Merit topper earns an exemption on the main tour for the 2026 season.
New territory
“We are delighted to explore new territory this week as the PGTI NexGen makes its debut at the Imperial Golf Estate,” tour CEO Amandeep Johl said.
“This initiative is part of our larger objective of growing the game across the country. Staging events in tier two cities will help us in further expanding the talent pool for golf and also create a wider audience and fan-base for the game.
“Punjab has been a powerhouse of Indian sport and we would like to use this opportunity to tap into the golfing potential of the state.
Added Mahlotra Realty MD Krant Vadhera, “We are delighted to host our first ever professional tournament at the Jack Nicklaus Design course in Mullanpur, Ludhiana.
“In time to come the Imperial Golf Estate will be a leading venue in Punjab. Our company is confident that participating professionals will enjoy the experience of playing at this wonderful course.”
Also read: Umed Kumar wins on pro debut at NexGen Forest Hill event
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