Indian golfer Om Prakash Chouhan delivered a spectacular eight-under 62, including a hole-in-one and an eagle, to seize the opening-round lead at the prestigious Rs 1 crore Coal India Open at Tollygunge Club.
Key Points
- Om Prakash Chouhan leads the Coal India Open with an impressive eight-under 62.
- Chouhan's round featured a hole-in-one on the eighth and an eagle on the 13th.
- Former Asian Tour winner Ajeetesh Sandhu is in second place, one shot behind Chouhan.
- Shaurya Bhattacharya and Kshitij Naveed Kaul are tied for third with six-under 64s.
- Chouhan's familiarity with the Tollygunge Club course contributed to his strong performance.
Om Prakash Chouhan produced a spectacular eight-under 62 to seize the opening-round lead at the second edition of the Rs 1 crore Coal India Open, at the Tollygunge Club here on Tuesday. The 40-year-old from Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, enjoyed an eventful round, highlighted by a hole-in-one on the par-three eighth and an eagle on the par-five 13th. He also carded six birdies and two bogeys to take a one-shot lead.
Former Asian Tour winner Ajeetesh Sandhu of Chandigarh was second on seven-under 63. Starting from the 10th tee, Sandhu made eight birdies and a lone bogey, which came on the par-four first, his 10th hole of the day.
Top Performers at Coal India Open
Delhi's Shaurya Bhattacharya, ranked 17th on the PGTI Rankings, and Pune's Kshitij Naveed Kaul, currently fifth in the season standings, shared third place after carding matching six-under 64s. Bangladeshi duo of Jamal Hossain and Badal Hossain, Greater Noida's Arjun Sharma, and 16-year-old Kartik Singh of Gurugram were tied for fifth following rounds of five-under 65.
Chouhan's Strategic Play and Course Familiarity
Chouhan, who is based in Ahmedabad, topped the PGTI Order of Merit in 2023 and is also a former HotelPlanner Tour winner. His familiarity with Tollygunge Club played an important role in his strong start. "The conditions at Tollygunge Club suit my game, and I enjoy playing this course," said Chouhan. "I have performed well here in the past having won the last DP World PGTI event staged here in February this year, so I followed a similar game-plan today."
Chouhan also highlighted his eagle on the 13th. He found the fairway with a three-wood before using his preferred rescue club for his approach and converting the putt from around 15 to 20 feet. "I struck the ball well for most of the round and am very happy with where my game is," he said.
Sandhu Credits Putting for Strong Start
Sandhu, who is ranked 18th this season, credited his putting and the progress made since last week's J&K Open for his opening 63. "I had a very good day on the greens," said Sandhu. "There were some encouraging signs last week, although I was still a little rusty. I built on that during the Pro-Am and practice round this week, so I'm happy that everything came together today."
In a field of 132 players, 40 shot even-par or better on the par-70 course.
