Ajeetesh Sandhu shoots sublime 63 to take first-round lead at Players Championship
Ajeetesh Sandhu emerged as the best performing golfer on the opening day of the star-studded Players Championship being played at Tollygunge Club, Kolkata.
Chandigarh-based Sandhu produced a sublime seven-under 63 to take a one-shot lead at the Rs.50 lakh prize money event.
Kolkata’s Viraj Madappa, Rahil Gangjee, originally from Kolkata and now based in Bengaluru, defending champion Karandeep Kochhar, Khalin Joshi, Vikram Rana and Varun Parikh were tied for second with scores of 64.
Legendary Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh, who last played at Tollygunge as a 15-year-old junior golfer, left all stunned with his powerful performance in round one.
The veteran Milkha Singh posted a spectacular bogey-free 65 to be tied eighth along with young guns Rashid Khan, Veer Ahlawat, Sanjeev Kumar and Kolkata’s Sunit Chowrasia.
The young Aadil Bedi took the honours of smashing an albatross when he holed his 9-iron second shot from 156 yards on the par-5th seventh.
The 21-year-old Aadil, the winner of the last PGTI event at Tollygunge in 2020, was placed tied 31st along with another Indian star and Kolkata golfer SSP Chawrasia.
Ajeetesh, an Asian Tour winner, who last played an event at the venue in 2011, created several scoring opportunities for himself with his accuracy off the tee.
Sandhu conceded an early bogey on the third before rallying with eight birdies. He capitalized on all the three par-5s with birdies.
Among those bunched in tied second, Khalin Joshi struck two eagles, three birdies and a bogey, while Rahil Gangjee made eight birdies and a double-bogey.
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