Jakarta, Indonesia, 23-04-2015
Abhijit Singh Chadha fires an ace en route a brilliant five-under-67 on opening day for share of third place at CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters, lies one off the lead
Shiv Kapur makes impressive start at Volvo China Open
Indian rookie Abhijit Singh Chadha made a sensational hole-in-one on his way to a brilliant opening round of five-under-67 that placed him tied third at the CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters presented by Enjoy Jakarta Golf. Chadha was one shot adrift of the joint leaders Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei and Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn at the US$750,000 Asian Tour event.
Singapore-based Australian Unho Park also posted a 67 to share third place with Chadha.
Abhijit, who secured his maiden Asian Tour card after finishing inside the top-40 at the Qualifying School in Thailand earlier this year, received a timely confidence-booster when he aced the 15th hole with his six-iron.
The hole-in-one set the Chandigarh lad on his way to a promising start as he went on to add four birdies to his card against a lone bogey.
“It was a good today. I started off well by getting a hole-in-one on the 15th and that really kept me in it. I hit a six-iron, aimed straight at the flag and it went right into the hole.
“I’ve made a hole-in-one in my career before but this is really special as I’ve made it on the Asian Tour. That gave me lots of confidence not only for the rest of the round but the entire week ahead,” said Chadha, a winner on the PGTI.
Rashid Khan was the other Indian in the top-10 as he marked his card with five birdies and two bogeys to be tied seventh at three-under-69 along with the likes of former world number one Lee Westwood of England.
India’s Khalin Joshi too enjoyed a solid start with an opening round of 71. He was placed tied 16th. Joshi’s compatriot Himmat Rai was a further shot back in tied 24th.
Among the other Indians in the fray, Chiragh Kumar returned a 73 to be joint 38th, Gaganjeet Bhullar was tied 74th with a score of 75, while Angad Cheema, Rahil Gangjee, Arjun Atwal and Chikkarangappa were all in tied 119th with matching scores of 78.
At the European Tour’s Volvo China Open being played in Shanghai, Shiv Kapur of India made an impressive start with his first round effort of two-under-70 that placed him tied seventh. Kapur struggled with three bogeys on the back-nine but then fought back with a contrasting front-nine where he produced five birdies. He was two shots off the lead.
SSP Chawrasia, the other Indian in the field, shot a 76 to be tied 102nd.
About PGTI:
Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognised official body of professional golf in India. PGTI's objective is to promote professional golf in the country, as well as to give players an opportunity to be involved in the decision making on all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Srinivasan H R (President), PGTI's governing body comprises leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
For information on PGTI, please contact:
Nikhil Kalaan
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