Ahmedabad, Jan 14 (PTI) Amateur Kartik Sharma of the DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurugram and Delhi's Pawan Verma took the joint first round lead at the PGTI's Final Qualifying Stage for the 2020 season with identical scores of two-under-70.

While 19-year-old Kartik, one of India's leading amateurs in recent years, drained five birdies in exchange for three bogeys, Pawan, the 2018 Feeder Tour Order of Merit champion, picked up seven birdies at the cost of five bogeys at the Kensville Golf & Country Club.

Kartik, who represented the international team at the Junior Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia last year, made three long birdie conversions from a range of 12 to 25 feet during his round.

Kartik, making his first attempt at the PGTI Qualifying School, said, "I played well in the Pre Qualifying having finished tied fourth in Pre Q I. I feel I've carried that momentum into the Final Stage."

Bangladesh's Md Sajib Ali and Gurugram's Deepinder Singh Kullar were in tied third place with matching scores of one-under-71.

The top 80 players (+ ties) will make the cut after round two of the Final Qualifying Stage. At the end of round four, the top 38 players will earn their full cards for the 2020 PGTI season. PTI

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