Sandhu, Ghai Lie Tied Second After Day 1 of Panasonic Open India

New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) Indian duo of Ajeetesh Sandhu and Tapy Ghai produced a matching five-under 67 to lie tied second after the opening day of the Asian Tour's Panasonic Open India on Thursday.

Sandhu, a winner on the Asian Tour and last year's joint runner-up and 22-year-old Ghai, playing only his second season as a professional, were one stroke adrift of sole leader Thailand's Suradit Yongcharoenchai (66) at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) here.

While Bangladesh's Md Siddikur Rahman (67) also took a share of second, the other Indians who enjoyed a strong start at the USD 400,000 event were Veer Ahlawat and Rashid Khan in tied fifth with scores of 68.

They shared the fifth spot with Thai duo Jazz Janewattananond and Peradol Panyathanasedh.

Veteran Jeev Milkha Singh, Kapil Kumar and Karandeep Kochhar were tied ninth with scores of 69. Defending champion Shiv Kapur carded a 70 to be tied 16th.

Sandhu was quick off the blocks collecting three birdies on the front nine at the cost of one bogey. The man with two top-10s in Asia this year then stepped on the gas on the back nine as he gathered four more birdies in exchange for a single bogey.

Interestingly, the 30-year-old's performance was reminiscent of his first round show last year when he had taken the lead with an eight-under-64.

Sandhu said, "The score is pretty good. I played alright, not my best. It's something that might just happen on this course. I think I played pretty well. That three birdies in a row kind of gave me some momentum heading into the remainder of the round.

"I hit two good shots on the 13th and made a 10-footer for birdie there. The 14th hole was the toughest hole that I birdied today. I hit a great chip for eagle on the 18th but it somehow lipped out. But I'll take it. I'm happy with the birdie on the last."

Gurgaon-based Ghai, who bagged his maiden professional title on the PGTI earlier this month, carried his form to the DGC as he mixed seven birdies with two bogeys. The 22-year-old made a couple of birdie conversions from a range of 12 to 20 feet.

Ghai said, "When you score seven birdies it's always a good round. All the aspects of my game were in good shape today. I had clarity of mind and didn't have any doubts during my round so that helped.

"I've drawn a lot of confidence from my first professional win which was achieved on the PGTI earlier this month in Ahmedabad. That win has helped me break some mental barriers. I feel like a different player now."

Ahlawat, another 22-year-old, made a mark on day one draining six birdies against a lone bogey. Ahlawat has been one of the most consistent performers on the PGTI since he turned pro back in 2016. In the last three seasons he has 13 top-10s to his credit.

The 20-year-old Yongcharoenchai, a 10th tee starter, overtook Sandhu, Ghai and Siddikur with three birdies in his last five holes on the front nine of the course. In all, the Thai golfer, who was 5th last week in Pakistan, had seven birdies against one sole bogey.

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