March 9, 2017: The Hero Indian Open has always been a great stage for Indian golfers. Anirban Lahiri and SSP Chawrasia have written their names into the tournament legend with their endearing efforts over the past few seasons. Rigel Fernandes is still some distance from emulating his seniors, but he underlined his promise with a brilliant 72 on the opening day of the tournament.
Matteo Manassero is the clubhouse leader at 68. He has a one shot lead over Eddie Pepperell, Carlos Pigem and Gregory Havret. David Horsey is lying at the top of the leader board at five under through 15 holes.
This is the 53rd running of the Indian Open, which came into being in 1964. Obviously, the tournament has seen several memorable chapters, creating heroes out of young men. The 21 year old University of South Florida student withstood tricky greens and a tortuous course to showcase his talent.
The score might seem unimpressive on first look, but it was a day when the Battle of the Titans was won squarely by the course. Thaworn Wiratchant, multiple winner on the Asian Tour copped an 89. Accomplished Indian pro, Jeev Milkha Singh suffered an 85. Talented young star, Phachara Khongwatmai is stuck on 8-over and is still four holes away from signing his card.
Fernandes made a name for himself when he won the Category B honours in the All India Junior Golf Tournament in 2010. It was clear that he kept nurturing his talents when he won the Sun Trust Gator Invitational last year. The tournament is part of the US Collegiate calendar, where competition is fierce.
The 321st ranked amateur (WAGR) started with a double bogey six at the tenth hole. He worked his way back with patience though, to add five birdies and two more bogeys through the rest of his round.
“It was a solid start for me. I hit my first shot of the day out of bounds but recovered nicely,” said Fernandes. “I birdied three of my last four holes today, so finished nicely. Hopefully some momentum going into tomorrow.”
Fernandes started on the 10th and immediately conceded a double bogey. But he made a smart recovery. “The second shot on 11 calmed me down,” added Rigel, who has his father on the bag this week. “Hit a nice wedge to 5 feet and made the first birdie of the day. That helped and from there on I gained confidence.”
The field has found the course challenging. Voices of trepidation are echoing through the air around the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram.
“The course from tee to green is pretty nice. The putting surfaces are a little extreme so you just have to be in the right parts,” explained the young man. “I have not played anything like this ever.”
145 men started the tournament this week. One man retired – Ranjit Singh retired when he was 11 over midway through the first round. 78 men finished their round on Thursday, with 66 others set to return on Friday to complete theirs.
