Mysuru, 08-08-2024

Aman Raj takes first round lead with a sublime 62 at inaugural Mysuru Open Hosted by JWGC

Teenage amateur and local lad Veer Ganapathy tied for second

Patna’s Aman Raj took the round one lead with a sublime eight-under 62 at the inaugural Mysuru Open Hosted by Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club (JWGC), the first ever men’s professional tournament to be played in Mysuru.

Seventeen-year-old amateur Veer Ganapathy of Bengaluru, who also plays regularly at JWGC, struck a seven-under 63 in his first ever round in a professional event to be tied for second place along with Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema and Noida’s Arjun Sharma.

The opening round of the INR 1 crore event witnessed a brief downpour of 15 minutes in the afternoon but play was not suspended at any stage.

Aman Raj, four-time winner on the PGTI, who currently sits in 16th place on the PGTI Order of Merit, began his week with a bang making a chip-in for birdie from the fringe on the first hole. Aman kept hitting it close through the day and thus picked up eight more birdies at the cost of a lone bogey.

Aman said, “It’s a great layout here at JWGC and the course conditions were perfect both before and after the rain. I scored well thanks to my good ball-striking and chipping. I lost some momentum today after the 12th but came back well after the bogey on the 16th by making birdies on the last two holes.

“This course gives you a lot of scoring opportunities and is yet quite intimidating as the par-3s here are very challenging because of the tight greens and the wind coming into play.

“I took some time off from golf at the start of the mid-season break and that helped me a lot. I also worked on my fitness during the break.”   

Teenager Veer Ganapathy, playing in familiar conditions at his second home course, capitalized on his local knowledge at JWGC with a fiery effort that consisted of eight birdies and a bogey. His accurate tee shots and exceptional wedge shots were the highlight of his round. Veer, a three-time winner on the junior circuit including the All India Junior last year, sank two birdies on the front-nine before adding six more birdies and a bogey on the back-nine.

The left-handed Veer, son of former Indian professional Rahul Ganapathy, is currently ranked number three on the Indian junior circuit. Veer’s father Rahul, a three-time winner on the PGTI, also happens to be his coach.

Veer said, “I played well as I hit my wedges really close and didn’t leave myself any long putts. I started off slow but the birdie on the sixth got my round going. I also recovered well towards the end after a late bogey.

“It was good to have my parents following me today. As advised by my father, I just went out there and enjoyed myself. My home course is KGA in Bengaluru but JWGC also feels like a home course to me because I play here once a month at least.”

Angad Cheema posted a flawless 63 while Arjun Sharma made nine birdies and two bogeys to shoot the same score.

Mysuru-based professionals Yashas Chandra and Aalaap I L shot scores of 64 to be bunched in tied fifth along with five other players.

Gurugram’s Manu Gandas, one of the favourites this week, carded a 66 to be tied 16th.