S. Chikkarangappa began what he described as an ‘emotional week’ for him with a supremely confident eight-under 64 to take the first round lead at the Asian Development Tour’s Take Solutions India Masters.
Still mourning the recent loss of his grandfather, Chikkarangappa waltzed through the back nine at the Eagleton Golf Resort — his home course — here on Wednesday to finish one shot ahead of Thailand’s Pijit Petchkasem.
Abhishek Jha, another local golfer, was a stroke further behind in third, with the quartet of M. Dharma, Niall Turner, Deepinder Singh Kullar, and Khalin Joshi tied for fourth (five-under 67).
“This is a very emotional week for me,” Chikkarangappa said afterwards. “I lost my grandfather and I was really worried and unhappy. My parents and grandmother gave me a lot of confidence; they said this is what he would’ve wanted me to do.”
The 21-year-old was two-under at the turn, before going on a run of six birdies over the next seven holes. Four of those birdies were achieved with putts from over 10 feet, demonstrating his control on the greens.
The round’s score of eight-under was Chikkarangappa’s best at a tournament, eclipsing the seven-under he managed here a year ago.
“I hit it really well today,” he said. “I’ve worked on my hitting for the last six months. In the last three weeks, my putting had let me down — at the Eagleburg Masters and the Bilt Open. I made some changes and my putting has been firm after that.”
Jha’s round of 66 was slightly more up and down. He started with an eagle and nearly finished with one. In between, there were two bogeys and five birdies. “I hit almost all the greens today. I played some solid golf,” said Jha, who at 6’5” is the tallest player on the PGTI.
Meanwhile, the pre-tournament favourite S.S.P. Chowrasia endured a disappointing day, carding two-over. “The course is absolutely fine. I played badly,” he shrugged. “Putting is the issue.”
The scores (top nine after 18 holes): 64: S. Chikkarangappa; 65: Pijit Petchkasem (Tha); 66: Abhishek Jha; 67: M. Dharma, Niall Turner (Irl), Deepinder Singh Kullar, Khalin Joshi; 68: Abhishek Kuhar, Suppakorn Uthaipat (Tha).
