Chhattisgarh Open golf: Shaurya Binu shoots nine-under 60 to take first-round lead


Naya Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Feb 25 (IANS) Bengaluru’s Shaurya Binu returned a remarkable nine-under 60 to take the first-round lead in the first-ever competitive round of the INR 1 crore Chhattisgarh Open 2025 at the pristine Fairway Golf & Lake Resort here on Tuesday. The opening day saw the golfers produce some stunning scores in the first PGTI event being held in the state of Chhattisgarh.

The Delhi-based duo of Harshjeet Singh Sethie and Honey Baisoya as well as Karnal’s Mani Ram also carded sizzling scores of eight-under 61 at the Par-69 course to be placed tied second.

Shaurya Binu, a two-time winner on the PGTI last season, began the day on a positive note with three birdies on the first five holes where he sank putts from a range of 10 to 20 feet. The only blip in his round was the bogey on the sixth where he three-putted.

The 20-year-old Shaurya came back strongly with two birdies and an eagle on the next three holes where he made two conversions from 10 to 15 feet. Shaurya then powered ahead by picking up three more strokes on the back-nine courtesy of a couple of quality wedge shots and a mammoth 35-feet conversion on the 17th.

Shaurya said, “I really enjoyed playing at the Fairway Golf & Lake Resort for the first time. The greens are rolling well and are in great condition. I was eager to start this week well since I missed the cut in the first two events of the season. I’ve been focusing on my swing and rhythm. The effort is to keep the same tempo. I executed that well today.

“After the practice round, I realized one can miss it on the right on this course. I then planned accordingly for the tournament. “Even though it’s a short course, it offers a variety of challenges such as playing some of the Par-3s in headwind while looking to hit the comparatively smaller greens. The hazards and out-of-bounds come into play on most of the holes.”

Harshjeet Singh Sethie, a winner on the PGTI in 2023, made two chip-ins and rolled in a couple of putts from 30 to 50 feet during his outstanding round of 61.

Honey Baisoya made birdies on his first five holes during his round of 61 to be part of a three-way tie for second place. Mani Ram posted a bogey-free 61 to also occupy joint second position.

Among the prominent names, Udayan Mane (63) was tied seventh, Om Prakash Chouhan (66) was tied 34th, Manu Gandas (67) was tied 48th, Aman Raj (69) was tied 79th and Rashid Khan (70) was tied 95th.

–IANS

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