Ahmedabad, April 9 (IANS) Pukhraj Singh Gill of Ludhiana and Faridabad’s Abhinav Lohan fired opening round scores of six-under 66 to hold the joint lead at the INR 2 crore Indorama Ventures Open Golf Championship 2025 at the Kalhaar Blues & Greens Golf Club here on Wednesday.
The five players bunched in tied third place at four-under 68 were Mysuru’s Yashas Chandra, Delhi golfers Sachin Baisoya and Anshul Kabthiyal, Hyderabad’s Vishesh Sharma and Chandigarh’s Amrit Lal.
Among the Ahmedabad-based professionals, Varun Parikh was the highest-placed at tied 48th after he shot a 74.
Pukhraj Singh Gill produced a bogey-free effort during his round of 66 on Day One. The 28-year-old Pukhraj, who made most fairways and greens thanks to his excellent ball-striking, sank three birdies each on the front nine and back nine.
Gill left himself two tap-ins and also chipped in for a birdie on the 15th. He holed a 15-footer for birdie, too.
“This course suits me as it rewards good ball-striking, especially off the tees. I played both the nines well. The wind was up early on in my round, so the pars at the beginning were quite stabilizing for me and gave me a decent start. A bogey-free start is always welcome,” Pukhraj said.
“I’ve had a consistent run so far this season, and I enjoy a good comfort level at this course. I therefore feel confident of performing well this week.”
Abhinav Lohan was co-leader with Pukhraj Singh Gill. Lohan, a winner of multiple PGTI titles, made seven birdies and a bogey in round one.
Indian golf legend Jeev Milkha Singh’s 15-year-old son Harjai Milkha Singh, playing the tournament as an amateur, carded an 81 on Wednesday to be tied for 110th.
The tournament being played at Kalhaar Blues & Greens has a field of 126 players, including 123 professionals and three amateurs. The event is being played in the stroke-play format, consisting of four rounds of 18 holes each. The top 50 players and ties will make the cut after two rounds. The par for the course is 72.
–IANS
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