Hyderabad, Nov 11 — The rivalry between the experienced champion Gaganjeet Bhullar and evolving star Sachin Baisoya is developing into one of the most compelling storylines on the IGPL Tour. But there is another challenger, Arjun Prasad, ready to join the battle at the Phoenix Invitational 2026 in Hyderabad.
Bhullar, Baisoya and the fast-emerging Arjun Prasad shared the opening-round lead with impressive six-under-par 66s at Vooty Golf County in Telangana, taking advantage of favourable playing conditions and the course's excellent greens.
At Vooty, the battle is no longer just about Bhullar and Baisoya. Prasad has made sure of that.
While Bhullar and Baisoya have been involved in several close encounters in recent weeks, Prasad's presence at the top of the leaderboard added another dimension to the contest. The young professional has wasted little time making an impression since joining the IGPL ranks, winning on only his second start and showing that he has the game to compete with the established names.
The opening round also underlined the depth of the field. Four players were tied fourth at five-under 67, while another six were bunched at four-under 68. With 13 players within two shots of the leaders and several others not far behind, the tournament is heading for a tight battle.
For Bhullar, the opening 66 was another demonstration of how experience can compensate for unfamiliar surroundings. For the second consecutive week, the 38-year-old was playing a course he had never visited before and had not even managed a practice round.
Last week, he had made an immediate impression at East Point Golf Club in Visakhapatnam, where he shared the first-round lead at the Green Fuels Maritime Invitational before going on to win the title. This time, he produced nine birdies despite dropping three shots.
The six-time IGPL winner, who has also won 11 times on the Asian Tour, was particularly pleased with his putting. “I had never played this course, but I had also never played the East Point GC last week. Maybe experience helps,” Bhullar said with a laugh. “I played well, and if you see any specific aspect, the putting went great. I dropped three bogeys, but that means I had nine birdies, like half of the 18 we played.”
The experienced professional was also encouraged by the quality of the course and the performances of the younger players. “The course is playing great, and the greens were pure. It was fun out there, and I can see some youngsters also doing well. That augurs well for AM Green IGPL as such and hopefully out of many of these teen stars, we will have some future champions.”
Baisoya, meanwhile, continued the impressive form that has made him one of the most consistent contenders on the circuit this season. His first international breakthrough came with a victory in Mauritius, and he has since established himself as a serious challenger to Gaganjeet Bhullar. His opening round was particularly explosive.
Sachin Baisoya raced to five-under through his first five holes, including an eagle after chipping in on the fifth. A bogey on the following hole briefly interrupted his momentum, but he quickly recovered with another birdie. He also produced an important birdie on the 10th, holing a putt from approximately 15 to 20 feet, to maintain his charge towards the top of the leaderboard.
Overall, Baisoya had an eagle and six birdies against two bogeys.
“Today went really well. I was five-under through the first five holes. I birdied a par-4, birdied again, then chipped in for eagle on the fifth. Then came a bogey on the next hole, but a good birdie after that helped me build a strong round,” Baisoya said. “On the 10th I holed a 15–20 foot putt for birdie. Overall, a very good round.”
The rivalry between Bhullar and Baisoya has become an interesting feature of the IGPL season. Bhullar brings a wealth of international experience, course management and an impressive record, while Baisoya has been building confidence through consistent performances and an ability to put together low scores. Their recent encounters have been closely contested, making their progress over the next two rounds particularly interesting.
Baisoya, however, is keen to concentrate on his own game rather than become preoccupied with the leaderboard. “My game plan is to stick to my own game. Tomorrow and the day after, I just have to keep the same mindset I had today. In the last tournament I also made the playoff. I just give my 100 per cent, and the results will follow,” he added.
Prasad's emergence makes the contest even more intriguing. Having already secured a victory early in his IGPL career, he is beginning to demonstrate the consistency required to challenge the tour's more established professionals.
He turned at one-under before producing a much stronger back nine, highlighted by a superb four-iron approach to within 10 feet on the par-three 11th. Three consecutive birdies from the 14th to the 16th completed an excellent finish.
Vooty also holds special memories for Prasad, who recorded his first hole-in-one in an earlier tournament on the eighth hole during his previous appearance at the venue. “I had a solid day today. While I turned at one-under on the front nine, my back nine was very strong, highlighted by a great four-iron to 10 feet on the par-three 11th and three birdies in a row from holes 14 to 16,” he said.
“Vooty is special to me after hitting my first tournament hole-in-one on the eighth here last time, and the greens are rolling very true despite the tricky wind. My game plan is set, and I’m looking forward to two more solid rounds in my first AM Green IGPL season.”
Prasad had eight birdies and two bogeys and five of his birdies in a six-hole run from the 11th to the 16th.
Behind the leading trio, Shat Mishra, Harshjeet Sethie, Ravi Kumar and teenage prospect Danish Verma shared fourth place at five-under 67.
Another six players were tied at four-under, including Aryan Roopa Anand, who won in Congo, teenage talent Veer Ganapathy, long-hitting Tushar Pannu, experienced professionals Shiv Kapur and M. Dharma, and young Sawai Hamendra Singh Bhati.
The quality of scoring was helped by the favourable course conditions and greens running at a speed of 10.5 on the stimpmeter.
However, even as the leaderboard remains crowded, Bhullar will look to extend his remarkable run of success on the IGPL and Baisoya will be keen to turn his growing consistency into another victory. As for Prasad, he has an opportunity to underline his arrival among the leading contenders.