Mysore's Yashas Chandra turned out to be the surprising leader when he carded four-under 68 on Day 1 of the 115th Amateur Golf Championship of India at the Classic Golf Resort here on Tuesday.
Chandra, 20, who is currently No.4 on the Indian Golf Union (IGU) men amateur order of merit, carded six birdies and a couple of bogeys en route to a 68 which put him ahead towards the first title on the amateur tour.
A disciple of Vijay Divecha (coach of 2015 Asian Tour champion Anirban Lahiri), he hit 12 greens in regulation on Tuesday and said in a release:, "I made a few mistakes but don't have much to complain as I am leading with two strokes on the amateur tour for the first time in my life. I just need to set a target for tomorrow and stick to that so that I can finish the day as the clubhouse leader tomorrow as well."
Winner of the 2012 Punjab Junior Championship, Chandra had to take a break from golf for a couple of years due to studies but now he is back in full action. "At the beginning of this year, coming in the top 5 was my aim and now I am number four which shows that I am on my way to the target that I set. I would spend at least one more year on the amateur circuit before moving on to the Pro league."
Faridabad's Priyanshu Singh shot 70 to share the second spot along with Noida's Simarjeet Singh and Chandigarh's Karandeep Kocchar. Delhi's Arjun Prasad was one shot behind at the fifth position.
In the team championship that is taking place concurrently, Thailand's Napong Sriparsit and Sangchai Kaewchareon shot identical scores of 72 to take the lead at 144 while the Indian team of Samarth Dwivedi (72) and Aman Raj (75) was second at 147.
A total of 36 players will make the cut on Wednesday for the knockout stage over four rounds. The tournament will conclude on December 20 with the 36-hole final.
