Kolkata pro Yusuf Ali shot a three-under par 67 to lead the field after the opening round in the Hyundai Open golf championship in Chennai on Wednesday.
Yusuf's uncle, Akbar Ali, and cousin Rafiq Ali returned a card of two-under 68 each to trail the leader by a solitary stroke. Uttam Singh Mundy, another Kolkata pro, returned an identical card to share the second position.
Defending champion Mukesh Kumar, last year's rookie of the year Ashok Kumar, Delhi pro Pappan, Monish Bindra and SSP Chowrasia returned cards of one-under par 69 each to share the fifth position. Seven others were tied for the tenth position on a day where only 16 par or sub-par scores were recorded.
Yusuf Ali made a good beginning from the tenth with a birdie. Playing steady golf, he made two more on the 12th and 16th.
Earlier, a bad tee shot on the 15th forced the Kolkata pro to return a bogey. After a birdie on the fifth, Yusuf Ali had two consecutive bogeys on the sixth and seventh after being in the centre of the fairway on the latter. His three-wood second shot hit the green and rolled into the bunker. Yusuf failed to make 'an up and down' and ended up with a bogey. However, the back-to-back bogeys did not deter Yusuf's game as he finished with birdies on the remaining holes.
In the amateur category, L Selvadurai shot a one-over par 71 to lead the amateur field. D Nagaraj was four strokes behind the leader.
