September 18 , 2013: Rahil Gangjee of Kolkata set the bar with a splendid five-under-67 on first day of the PGTI Players Championship at Chandigarh Golf Club. Jyoti Randhawa who made a welcome return to Chandigarh after a decade with an impressive 68 that placed him tied second along with defending champion Mukesh Kumar and promising youngster Arshdeep Tiwana closely follows him.
Rahil Gangjee had an eventful start to the day making birdies on the first, second and fourth holes. He knocked-in a 15-footer on the first and a 30-feet putt on the fourth. A bogey on the fifth didn’t deter Rahil as he produced a great approach shot on the sixth to set up another birdie. The 35-year-old Gangjee found the green in two on the par-5 13th to pick up his fifth birdie of the day. A 20-foot birdie conversion on the 14th helped him end the day at five-under.
[highlight] I’ve had a decent season so far, having posted three top-10s on the Asian Tour and top-5s at the last two PGTI events. I’m feeling good about my game at the moment [/highlight]
Gangjee, a winner on the Asian Tour, said, “I didn’t have too many expectations from the day so I’m happy with this start. I made some long putts today. I’ve had a decent season so far, having posted three top-10s on the Asian Tour and top-5s at the last two PGTI events. I’m feeling good about my game at the moment. The key at this course will be to find the fairways on a consistent basis and read the greens well.”
The Gurgaon-based Jyoti Randhawa shook off the rust in his first round of competitive golf in four months as he fired an impressive 68. He is playing his first PGTI event of the 2013 season, made an ideal start with a 15-feet conversion for birdie on the first.
“My experience helped me grab my chances on the greens at the Chandigarh Golf Club where I’m playing after about 10 years. I believed in what I had to do in order to convert those crucial putts and I executed my game-plan well,” Randhawa said.
Mukesh Kumar of Mhow, who won at Chandigarh Golf Club earlier this year, had six birdies and two bogeys in his opening round.
Arshdeep Tiwana, who recently moved to Chandigarh, also turned it on with a bogey-free 68 on day one. The 26-year-old made some good up and downs for birdies on the second, fourth and 13th before landing it within three feet for birdie on the 18th.
Chandigarh golfers Abhijit Singh Chadha and Akshay Sharma are in tied fifth along with Moinuddin Malak of Pune and Lucknow’s Rajesh Kumar Rawat at three-under-69.
