PGTI Golf: Mukesh Kumar grabs Day One lead

Old warhorse Mukesh Kumar of Mhow, who missed the cut at the PGTI’s season-opener at Kochi last week, came back with a vengeance on Day One of the PGTI Players Championship at the Eagleton Golf Resort near Bengaluru, snatching the lead with a determined bogey-free eight-under 64.

Udayan Mane capitalised on the familiar conditions at his home course to grab a share of second place at seven-under 65 along with Gurgaon’s Shubhankar Sharma and unfancied Shivendra Singh Sisodia of Delhi.

Local favourite S. Chikkarangappa produced a 67 to be within striking distance of the lead in tied fifth along with Delhi’s Kapil Kumar on a day that witnessed 51 under-par scores.

Mukesh, who finished second in the Rolex Ranking 2015, hardly misses a cut and when he does, has a reputation of coming back stronger in the next event. The 50-year-old missed out in Hyderabad last year and then went on to win the following week in Kochi.

Mukesh will look to repeat the feat this time as well.

“I would have been in contention last week had my hand not rammed into a tree while swinging in the first round. I’ve now recovered from the injury and will look to make up for last week,” said the resolute Mukesh.

Mukesh, who won the Tata Open just two months back, made three birdies till the turn but then added another five in the second half to shoot his best-ever score at Eagleton.

Mane was one-under through three holes at his home course, before he came up with six birdies in seven holes (from the 13th to the 1st) thanks to some brilliant hitting and a couple of long putts.

Shubhankar, one of the pre-tournament favourites, mixed eight birdies with a lone bogey in his round.

“I kept the errors out of my game today and even the bogey came as a result of a bad bounce,” he said.

Sisodia produced an eagle, six birdies and a bogey to be in a three-way tie for second position.

Chikka was two-under through 14 holes before his hat-trick of birdies from the 15, 16 and 17 helped him catch up with the leader.