Panasonic Open | Ajeetesh Sandhu and Tapy Ghai share second spot at the end of Day 1
The Indian duo of Ajeetesh Sandhu and Tapy Ghai put up a promising show as they registered five-under 67 to lie T-2 after the opening day of the Asian Tour's Panasonic Open, India, on Thursday. Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai ended the day as the leader by a one-shot sole lead with six-under-66.
Indian golfers Ajeetesh Sandhu and Tapy Ghai ensured that they kept the pressure on Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai as they ended the opening day of this year’s Panasonic Open tied second with a score of five-under 67. Sandhu, who was a winner on the Asian Tour and last year's joint runner-up, and 22-year-old Ghai, who is still playing only his second season as a professional, were just one stroke behind Yongcharoenchai (66) at the Delhi Golf Club on Thursday.
“The score is pretty good. I played alright, not my best. It’s something that might just happen on this course. Those three birdies in a row kind of gave me some momentum heading into the remainder of the round,” Sandhu told PTI.
And Gurgaon-based Ghai, who bagged his maiden professional title on the PGTI earlier this month, continued to impress at the DGC as he mixed seven birdies with two bogeys.Â
"When you score seven birdies it's always a good round. All the aspects of my game were in good shape today. I had clarity of mind and didn't have any doubts during my round so that helped.
"I've drawn a lot of confidence from my first professional win which was achieved on the PGTI earlier this month in Ahmedabad. That win has helped me break some mental barriers. I feel like a different player now," Ghai told reporters.
20-year old Thai international - Suradit revelled in his own performance as said that he will not change his routine over the course the tournament.Â
“I made a really good birdie on the par-three seventh hole. I hit it close to within a foot and tapped in for birdie. I played pretty consistently through the round today. This is my second time playing on this course and in this tournament.
“Obviously I am riding on my good form as well. I finished tied-fifth in Pakistan two weeks ago and was joint runner-up when I last played in India two months ago. I haven’t changed my routine much so I will keep doing what I have been doing,” the opening day’s leader said.