Fresh from his title defence at the Indian Open, Kolkata golfer SSP Chawrasia returned to his home course carding a steady one-under 71 to lie tied 18th after the opening round of the Kolkata Classic here today.
Chawrasia sank three birdies against two bogeys on day one at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) here.
Former PGTI Order of Merit winners Chikkarangappa and Chiragh Kumar, however, called the shots today with matching scores of four-under 68.
While Bengaluru-based Chikka regained his putting form, Delhi's Chiragh continued to impress following a creditable top-25 at the recently concluded Indian Open.
The Mhow-based duo of Mukesh Kumar and Om Prakash Chouhan, Chandigarh's Feroz Singh Garewal and Delhi's Ikramuddin Shah were bunched together in tied third at three-under-69.
Chikkarangappa, the 2015 PGTI Order of Merit champion, reaped the rewards of going back to the putter that was part of his golfing arsenal for 11 years and contributed to his tremendous success at the junior, amateur and professional levels. The brief spell in between when the two-time Asian Development Tour (ADT) winner tried out several different putters hadn't been very fruitful.
Chikka started the week in style with three birdies on the first four holes but then had a torrid time from the fifth to the eighth, dropping four consecutive bogeys as a result of some erratic hitting.
After being level-par through 14 holes, the 23-year-old produced a final flourish which began with a 75-feet eagle conversion on the 15th. He signed off with two more long birdie conversions on the 17th and 18th.
Chiragh Kumar, fresh from an impressive tied 22nd finish at the Indian Open, continued the good work with a solid start to the Kolkata Classic week. Chiragh, one-over through the front-nine, kick-started his round with a 45-feet birdie conversion on the 10th. From there on, he went on to add an eagle and three birdies at the cost of just one bogey.
Kolkata-based rookie Viraj Madappa, playing his first professional event in his home town, shot a 79 to be placed tied 101st.
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