Abhijit Chadha, a member of India's Asian Games silver medal winning team in 2010, cracked a five-under 67, including a hole-in-one to take the third place at the end of the first round of the USD 750,000 CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters here today.
Chadha is one behind the co-leaders, Chinese Taipei's Chan Shih-chang and Denmark's Thomas Bjorn, both shooting 66.
Another Indian Rashid Khan scored three-under 69 to be tied seventh, while Khalin Joshi carded 71 to be tied 16th.
Rashid, two time winner on Asian Tour in 2014, was also member of the Asian Games team in 2010, while Joshi is coming from a win on Indian Tour last month.
Among other Indians, Himmat Rai (72) was tied 24th, Chiragh Kumar (73) was tied 38th, Gaganjeet Bhullar, still struggling on his comeback from injury, shot 75 to be at tied 74th. Veteran Arjun Atwal, Rahil Gangjee and youngsters Angad Cheema and S Chikkarangappa carded 78 each to be tied 119th.
Daniel Chopra, winner of the Asian Tour Q-School, was lying 38th with a score of 73.
With Anirban Lahiri, winner of the event in 2014, now playing in US, Chadha was the pick of the Indians.
He began from the 10th and started with five pars before finding a hole in one on the 15th, which was his sixth hole. He birdied the 18th and then bogeyed the first. Chadha closed strongly with three birdies in last four holes for a fine 67.
Chadha, who secured his Tour card at Qualifying School earlier this year in Thailand, also received a timely confidence boost when he aced the 15th hole with his six-iron.
The hole-in-one set the Indian on his way to a promising start.
"It was good today. I started off well by getting a hole-in-one on the 15th and that really kept myself in it. I hit a six-iron, aimed straight at the flag and it went right into the hole. I've made a hole-in-one in my career but this is really special as I've made it on the Asian Tour," he said.
Rashid also starting from 10th, bogeyed the 18th and first, but birdied 11th, 13th, second, third and ninth. Joshi had three birdies against two bogeys in his 71 and Himmat had four each of birdies and bogeys.
