Shamim Khan the front runner at Aircel Players Championship of India
The four day Aircel Professional Golf Tour of India Players Championship teed off today, at the picturesque par-72 Chandigarh golf club with Shamim Khan being the front runner. Khan who plays at the beautiful Delhi golf course carded a round of six-under
par 66 on the first day and leads the tournament only by one shot over the local lad Roop Singh, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Navtez Singh. Total prize money sanctioned for this tournament is four million Indian Rupees.
Khan has been playing for a long while and is an experienced campaigner. The man from Delhi golf club produced a brilliant score of six-under par to take the early lead in the tournament, as he was flawless in his approach shots and was accurate off the
fairways. There was no blemish seen on his card and had six birdies during his round. All credit goes to his hot putter which favoured him throughout the day. Khan showed his class with his powerful hitting and classic short game. The Delhi pro was victorious
once last year and had a few top-ten finishes.
The local lad, Roop Singh trails Khan by a margin of just one stroke and is tied at the second position. As it was expected, Roop carded a superb round of five-under par which included some long drives off the tee. He represents the same club and has quite
a lot of knowledge about the pin placements. Roop had a moderate two under-par, 34 for his front nine and made a comeback with four birdies and a lone bogey on his card. The only bogey came on the long par-4, 15th where his drive was ended up in
rough. After that, he failed to make a par on fifteenth.
Asian Tour member Bhullar also posted his name on the leader board, as he was also tied for the second spot. Bhullar carded a bogey-free round of five under par and showed his exquisite touch with his irons on the course. He had five birdies in his first
round and is expected to improve his position on the leader board in the next three days. Bhullar who is an experienced playing professional, already has two Asian Tour victories under his belt.
Another player tied for the second slot is the inexperienced Navtez Singh. Navtez also had the same score of five-under par and has a deficit of one shot over the leader. His card which showed an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys depicts his hard work on
the practice range. The two drop shots came on the short par-3, 8th and the long par-4, 15th. Navtez was overwhelmed with his round and pleased to see his name on the leader board among the top contenders.
Some fireworks are expected on the second day tomorrow as players like Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia and Gaganjeet Bhullar within the reach of the leader. Chowrasia will be looking to make a move on the second day to lead the tournament. He is just three
shots behind the leader.
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