VARANASI
Thirty-one-year-old Sunit Chowrasia of Kolkata, twenty-seven-year-old Mukeem Ali of Mathura and thirty-nine-year-old Dipankar Kaushal of Noida shared the opening round lead at the inaugural PGTI NexGen event in Varanasi. All three players carded three-under 67 to stay tied after the first round at BLW Greens Golf Course.
Sunit, who leads the NexGen Order of Merit, arrived after winning two recent tournaments and showed strong form again. He mixed birdies and bogeys but recovered well after a double bogey on the tenth hole. Mukeem Ali impressed with excellent putting and finished strong with three consecutive birdies at the end of his round. He said his putting made the difference and helped him stay confident throughout the hot conditions.
Dipankar Kaushal delivered a steady round with an eagle on the eighteenth hole and strong ball striking. He hit seventeen greens in regulation and said he was pleased despite a double bogey earlier. Other golfers also stayed close behind with several players under par in tough conditions. Only a small number of competitors managed even par or better on opening day. The tournament winner will earn a place on the main tour next season through ranking points.
Organisers praised the competitive start and said the event is expected to grow in popularity across India. Players will continue competing over the coming rounds with hopes of securing valuable ranking points and improving their standings in the NexGen Order of Merit race through consistent performance this week at Varanasi golf course event today final round.