TATA Steel PGTI meet: Jeev Milkha Singh off to a good start, Aadil Bedi fires rare albatross

Chandigarh, March 15

Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu made a welcome return to Tollygunge Club after over a decade as he scorched the course with a 7-under 63 to lead the field in round one of the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship. Kolkata’s Viraj Madappa, Rahil Gangjee, defending champion Karandeep Kochhar, Khalin Joshi, Vikram Rana and Varun Parikh were tied-2nd with scores of 64.

Indian golfing great Jeev Milkha Singh came up with an error-free 65 to be tied-8th along with Rashid Khan, Veer Ahlawat, Sanjeev Kumar and Kolkata’s Sunit Chowrasia.

While Chandigarh’s Aadil Bedi, who shot a 68, fired a rare albatross on the par-5 seventh as he holed his 9-iron second shot from 156 yards. The 21-year-old Aadil, the winner of the last PGTI event at Tollygunge in 2020, was placed tied 31st along with another Indian star and Kolkata golfer SSP Chawrasia.

Sandhu, an Asian Tour winner, who last played an event at the venue in 2011, created several scoring opportunities for himself with his accuracy off the tee. Sandhu conceded an early bogey on the third before rallying with eight birdies. He capitalised on all three par-5s with birdies. Among those bunched in tied second, Joshi struck two eagles, three birdies and a bogey while Gangjee made eight birdies and a double-bogey. Jeev chipped-in for birdie on the 12th and made some good par-saves en route his flawless 65 today.