Shillong, Nov. 12: The Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Open Golf, 2014 took off today at the Shillong Golf Course with Mukesh Kumar of Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, shooting a six-under-64 in the opening round to open up a two-shot lead.
Abhishek Kuhar of Gurgaon, Lucknow’s Sanjay Kumar and Calcutta’s Mohammad Sanju fired scores of four-under-66 to be tied second.
Mukesh, a winner of over 100 titles in India, landed it within five feet for birdies on the seventh and ninth holes. Playing his first event at the Shillong Golf Course, he got his round going with the eagle on the 10th where he tapped-in after hitting the green in two shots.
A couple of good wedge shots on the 13th and 14th helped him pick up two more strokes.
Mukesh, 49, currently ranked 12th on Rolex Rankings, said, “I enjoyed myself out there today. I set myself up for birdies and the eagle on the 10th courtesy some excellent wedge shots. I also putted well to take my opportunities on the greens. Importantly, I did not drop any bogeys. It has not been one of my best seasons so far but I am confident I can do well here this week. This is a brilliant venue for professional golf and the changes in elevation pose quite a challenge.”
Abhishek Kuhar, 19, of the DLF Golf and Country Club had a great start to the tournament as he converted a 15-feet eagle putt on the fourth. He followed up the eagle with four birdies and two bogeys to close with a four-under.
Sanjay Kumar, currently ranked 15th on the Rolex Rankings, matched Kuhar’s score as he returned a card with five birdies and a bogey.
Delhi golfer Bhanu Pratap Singh made a comeback after starting with a triple-bogey on the 11th to end up tied fifth at three-under-67.
The 23-year-old made three birdies and a bogey on the next eight holes before firing a hole-in-one on the third where his pitching wedge tee shot landed four feet short before rolling in. He added two more birdies to his card on the sixth and 10th.
The Delhi duo of Siddharth Semwal and Vikrant Chopra and Sri Lankan K Prabagaran also carded scores of 67 to join Bhanu Pratap, being tied fifth.
Jeevan Sharma fared the best among the Shillong-based professionals, posting an even-par-70 to be tied 19th.