Tour senior Shamim is early pacesetter at Ahmedabad Open

By Rahul Banerji

Delhi’s Shamim Khan returned a five-under 31 to set the early pace at the Ahmedabad Open, a Rs. 1 crore event being played at the Glade One Golf Resort & Club on Wednesday.

Sri Lankan Mithun Perera, Jamal Hossain of Bangladesh, Delhi’s Kshitij Naveed Kaul, Faridabad’s Abhinav Lohan and Greater Noida’s Arjun Bhati, were tied for second place on three-under 33.

The first two rounds of the event are being played over nine holes each to be followed by an 18-hole cut, the PGTI said.

The third and fourth rounds will then comprise 18 holes each, making for a tournament total of 54 holes. Par for the course in the first two rounds is 36.

Shamim, a two-time PGTI Order of Merit champion, on Wednesday carried forward his good form from the last two events where he finished inside the top-20.

The 44-year-old, who has not won since 2019, was quick off the mark with birdies on the second and third holes.

Healthy edge

Khan then made three birdie conversions from between 10 and 30 feet to end the day in a commanding position.

Shamim said, “I have hit some decent form of late and now trying to build on that. Importantly, I made a couple of good putts early on in my round today that gave me the much-needed momentum.

“If you’re playing only nine holes, a good start is half the job done. I also managed to close it out well with birdies on the last two holes. Adjusting well to the green speed will be the key here this week.”

Shravan Desai (35) in tied 17^th place was the best-placed among the Ahmedabad golfers.

Said Glade One general manager Arshpreet Thind,“We are delighted to host and present the Ahmedabad Open. It’s a proud moment for us to be crowned The Best 9 Holes Golf Course in the world and being nominated again this year.

“It is the third year in a row professionals will be competing and will once again relish the experience of playing at Glade One in its pristine condition presenting its own unique set of challenges.

“We have worked to provide another memorable experience to the players and look forward to an enthralling week of golf.”

Round 1 leaderboard

31: Shamim Khan

33: Mithun Perera, Kshitij Naveed Kaul, Abhinav Lohan, Jamal Hossain, Arjun Bhati

Also read: Form man Karan Pratap Singh notches up maiden PGTI victory