Kolkata, Aug 11 — Om Prakash Chouhan fired an eight-under 62 to take the opening-round lead at the second edition of the INR 1 crore Coal India Open at Tollygunge Club in Kolkata.
The 40-year-old golfer from Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, put together an eventful round featuring a hole-in-one on the par-three eighth and an eagle on the par-five 13th. He also made six birdies and two bogeys to establish a one-shot lead.
Former Asian Tour winner Ajeetesh Sandhu of Chandigarh returned a seven-under 63 to occupy second place. 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.
Delhi’s Shaurya Bhattacharya, ranked 17th on the DP World 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, one of the youngest professionals on the tour, were tied for fifth following rounds of five-under 65.
Chouhan, who is based at Kalhaar Blues & Greens 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, 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.”
The change from Srinagar’s altitude to Kolkata’s humid conditions required Sandhu to adjust his yardages. He said he adjusted well and accurately assessed how far the ball was travelling in the contrasting conditions.
Sandhu’s standout birdie came on the 14th after he missed the fairway to the right. He played a low recovery shot through the trees from the rough, hit it to within 15 feet and converted the putt.
“That birdie was particularly satisfying,” he said. Sandhu has made six appearances on the DP World PGTI this season. He also led Rajasthan.
Regals to victory in the inaugural edition of the DP World PGTI’s ‘72 The League’.
Bengaluru’s Khalin Joshi, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Tuesday, carried the momentum from last week’s nine-shot victory at the JK Open into the new week. His opening four-under 66 placed him tied ninth.
PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar carded a three-under 67 to end the day in tied 14th. In a field of 132 players, 40 shot even-par or better on the par-70 course.