Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 23: Delhi golfers Sachin Baisoya and Shaurya Bhattacharya both showcased exceptional skill in the opening round of the J&K Open 2024, presented by J&K Tourism, held at the Jammu Tawi Golf Course (JTGC), here today. Each player finished with impressive scores of five-under-par 67, setting a competitive tone for the tournament. Udayan Mane, Akshay Sharma, Arjun Prasad and Kapil Kumar were tied in third place with scores of 68.
Sachin Baisoya, who finished in the top-10 in seven of the last eight PGTI events, began the week with a birdie on the first hole then had a quiet spell till the eighth where he picked up a tap-in birdie. Sachin’s only bogey on the ninth was followed by a solid back-nine where he picked up four more strokes. On the back-nine, he made a couple of long conversions and landed his tee shot within inches of the flag for birdie on the 17th.
“My recent form has been good, giving me confidence coming into this week,” Baisoya commented. “My tee shots were excellent, which was crucial on this narrow course. It’s important to place the ball well off the tee.”
In contrast, Bhattacharya faced an early challenge after bogeying his first two holes (the 10th and 11th). However, he rallied with an outstanding performance on the back-nine, where he recorded four birdies, three of which came from impressive distances ranging from 10 to 18 feet. Continuing his strong play on the front-nine, Bhattacharya added three more birdies to his scorecard.
“The fairways here at JTGC are narrow, so keeping the ball in play is vital,” Bhattacharya stated. “Even with a rough start, I focused on creating chances and staying patient.”
The tournament was inaugurated earlier in the day by Yasha Mudgal, Commissioner Secretary of J&K Tourism, amidst much fanfare. The ceremony included notable attendees, such as Vivekananda Rai, Director of Tourism, Jammu, Manav Gupta, Secretary of Jammu Tawi Golf Course and Sunaina Sharma Mehta, Joint Director Tourism, Jammu. The festivities featured a ceremonial tee-off, cake-cutting and a release of balloons, adding to the celebratory atmosphere. As the tournament progresses, all eyes will be on Baisoya and Bhattacharya as they aim to maintain their leads and contend for the title.
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