As many as three players shared the honours in the opening round of The Hindu Open, the third leg of the Amby Valley PGAI Tour at the par-72 Cosmo-TNGF course in Channai on Wednesday.
Ranjit Singh, Vishal Singh and Basad Ali all submitted a card of five-under 67 apiece to be tied for the lead.
As many as six players -- Rahul Ganapathy, Binod Pandey, S Stanley, Sandeep Syal, Shiv Prakash and Vijay Kumar were tied for the fourth position with a total of three-under 69.
Ranjit's brother Randhir Singh Ghotra and Yusuf Ali shared tenth position with a total of two-under par 70 on a day where a mere 16 sub-par scores were recorded for the day.
On a day where the greens were playing a bit hard, the players found it difficult to control the ball. Ranjit Singh followed by his newly-wed wife Navot Kaur, began with a birdie, despite overshooting the green on his drive. The 29-year-old from Chandigarh who is yet to notch a victory on the Amby Valley PGAI Tour, chipped-in from the edge of the green on the par-3 fourth for his second birdie.
Playing steady golf, the ever-smiling pro, made consecutive birdies on the 12th and 13th, with an 18-footer on the former. Adding one more birdie on the 16th, Ranjit, who is supported by Dannys Golf, submitted a spot-less card of five-under for the day.
"I think my wife is lucky for me. It was a difficult day on the course, I was lucky not to have any bogeys," admitted Ranjit.
Meanwhile, Vishal Singh, sporting a new-look beard, also had a solid beginning firing two successive birdies on the opening holes, missing an eagle from 10 feet on the second. The 32-year-old pro from Jaipur fired three more birdies on the fourth, sixth and seventh to be five under for his front nine.
After a chip-in on the par-3 11th for a birdie, a long drive on the par-4 12th landed in the right bunker, forcing Vishal to commit his first mistake of the day. Falling short of the green, he failed to make up and was down for a bogey. A sandy birdie on the 16th was followed by a bogey on the par-3 17th.
"It is good to have such a round after a long time. My putts were falling and everything was working for me, despite my hitting could have been much better," said Vishal.
Basad Ali, who has been known for his amazing short game during his peak, registered his first birdie of the day on the par-3 11th after beginning from the 10th.
The birdie was nullified by a bogey on the 13th. The old war horse then made an eagle on the par-5 16th while adding one more birdie on the 18th to take the turn at three-under.
Playing it safe on his return journey, the Kolkatan added birdies on the sixth and eighth to be tied for the lead.
Top scores (after 18 holes) (Pro): 67_Basad Ali (Kol), Ranjit Singh (Chd), Vishal Singh (Jaipur); 69_Binod Pandey (Kol), Rahul Ganapathy (B'lore), S Stanley (Chen), Sandeep Syal (Chen), Shiv Prakash (Kanpur), Vijay Kumar (Lucknow); 70_Randhir Singh Ghotra (Chd), Yusuf Ali (Kol); 71_Gast Ram (Del), PS Guleria (Del), Raju Ali (Kol), Sanjay Kumar (Lucknow), Vinod Kumar (Del). Amateurs: 78_L Selvadurai, Pradyumna Prakash; 79_V Darshan.
