Sudhir Sharma goes eight-under for NGC clubhouse lead

By Rahul Banerji

Brushing aside the bother of a rain-reduced first day, Greater Noida’s Sudhir Sharma fired a sensational eight-under 28 over nine holes for the clubhouse lead on day one of the Delhi-NCR Open on Tuesday.

A late-night thunderstorm dumped rainwater all across the region delaying the start of the Rs 1 crore PGTI event at the Noida Golf Course, leaving the final 12 players to complete the first round.

Manu Gandas of Gurgaon, Delhi’s Honey Baisoya and Badal Hossain of Bangladesh were tied for second on four-under 32, the PGTI said.

Start of play was delayed by three hours and the rain left the back nine water-logged, meaning the first tee-off was only possible at 10 am on Tuesday.

Depending on the conditions, round two may be played over 18 holes or nine holes. Therefore, the cut will be applied over either 27 or 18 holes.

Sharma, a two-time winner on the PGTI Feeder Tour, couldn’t have asked for a better start to the week as he drained a 20-foot eagle putt on the first hole.

Hot putter

Sudhir then sank a couple of more long birdies including a mammoth 45-footer on the fifth. The 35-year-old wrapped up his round in style with three accurate approach shots that set up an eagle and two birdies on the last three holes.

Sudhir said, “A perfect round, the hitting was solid and putting was consistent as I holed a few long putts.

“It was about trying to keep it more in play and avoiding mistakes since it was a nine-hole round.

“Adjusting to the course conditions after the overnight rain was also key. I used to play a lot over here so I’m quite familiar with this course and enjoy playing here.

“I’m feeling very confident now because earlier I was struggling with my swing after having made a couple of changes in it. I felt good about my swing today.”

A two-time winner at the NGC, local star Amardeep Malik was one of six tied for sixth place on three-under 33

Also read: Quality field for Rs 1 crore Delhi-NCR Open at Noida GC