Karandeep Kochhar’s sizzling eight-under 64 gave him the Round One lead in the Gujarat Open, the first event of the 2022 PGTI season at the Kalhaar Blues & Greens Golf Club in Ahmedabad.
Yashas Chandra MS struck a 65 to be placed second at the Rs 40 lakh event.
The three players tied for third place at 66 were Om Prakash Chouhan, Tapy Ghai and rookie Prakhar Asawa.
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Karandeep, who finished second on the PGTI Order of Merit last year courtesy his two wins, had a quiet start to the day after he bogeyed the first hole and followed it up with pars on the next five holes.
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He produced a great tee shot on the par-3 seventh that led to his first birdie of the day and set him up for the rest of the round as he went on to add eight more birdies including a chip-in on the 15th and five conversions from a range of 12 to 15 feet.
Karandeep said, “The four events I played on the Asian Tour recently were a good experience for me as far as negotiating windy conditions is concerned. That helped my game in similar conditions today at Kalhaar.
“I would credit the birdie on the seventh for my turnaround today after a slow start. That was a key moment as it got me going for the day. The birdie on the 15th was quite satisfying as it is one of the toughest holes on the golf course especially with the wind coming into play today. So that too was a confidence booster towards the end of the round.”
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Yashas, who hit it close through the day, was six-under through 12 holes before his first bogey of the day on the fifth. Yashas, however, ended the day well with two more birdies on the seventh and ninth.
He said, “Besides my good ball-striking, my speed control and stroke on the greens was also exceptional today. Hitting is one aspect I’ve worked on in the break before the season and it’s shaping up well now.”
Prakhar, making his debut as a professional, scored 10 birdies and conceded four bogeys during his 66 while OP, who came close to winning last year’s edition, produced eight birdies and two bogeys. Tapy made an eagle on the eighth as well as five birdies and a bogey.
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Olympian and reigning PGTI Order of Merit champion Udayan Mane began with a 79 to be tied 98th.
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