Ahmedabad, Feb 18 (IANS) Manu Gandas of Gurugram drew inspiration from his previous victory at Glade One Golf Resort & Club here to set the bar with an error-free five-under 31 on Day One of the INR 1 crore Gujarat Open 2025 here on Tuesday.
Yuvraj Sandhu of Chandigarh, the winner of the PGTI season-opener in Kolkata last week, as well as Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow, were tied for second place with scores of four under 32.
Karnal’s Rohit Narwal and Hyderabad-based Mohd Azhar were tied for fourth with scores of three under 33. Defending champion Abhinav Lohan returned a two-under 34 to be placed tied sixth.
The first two rounds of the event comprise nine holes each. After 18 holes, the cut will be applied. The third and fourth rounds will then comprise 18 holes each. The tournament will be played over a total of 54 holes. The par for the course in the first two rounds is 36.
Manu Gandas hit fairways at will on Tuesday creating many birdie opportunities for himself at a venue where he has seen success in the past. Manu, an eight-time winner on the PGTI, sank three birdies from long-range including a 30-footer on the closing ninth. He also landed it within three feet on two occasions for birdies, one of them coming as a result of a terrific bunker shot.
Manu said, “It was a solid day for me as I missed just one fairway. My putting was also on the mark. I created a lot of chances for myself with my consistent hitting. I have good memories of this course having won here in 2022. I feel quite at home playing here at Glade One.
“After a slow start to the season last week in Kolkata where my game was not at its best, I needed a good opening round this week. I’m glad I stuck to my game plan and got a good score on day one to set a foundation for myself to build on further.”
Ahmedabad’s Varun Parikh was the highest-placed among the local professionals as he shot an even-par 36 to be tied 36th.
–IANS
bsk/
