Aman Raj takes first round lead with a sublime 62 at inaugural Mysuru Open Hosted by JWGC

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Mysuru, August 8, 2024: Patna’s Aman Raj took the round one lead with a sublime eight-under 62 at the inaugural Mysuru Open Hosted by Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club (JWGC), the first ever men’s professional tournament to be played in Mysuru.

Seventeen-year-old amateur Veer Ganapathy of Bengaluru, who also plays regularly at JWGC, struck a seven-under 63 in his first ever round in a professional event to be tied for second place along with Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema and Noida’s Arjun Sharma.

The opening round of the INR 1 crore event witnessed a brief downpour of 15 minutes in the afternoon but play was not suspended at any stage.

Aman Raj, four-time winner on the PGTI, who currently sits in 16th place on the PGTI Order of Merit, began his week with a bang making a chip-in for birdie from the fringe on the first hole. Aman kept hitting it close through the day and thus picked up eight more birdies at the cost of a lone bogey.

Aman said, “It’s a great layout here at JWGC and the course conditions were perfect both before and after the rain. I scored well thanks to my good ball-striking and chipping. I lost some momentum today after the 12th but came back well after the bogey on the 16th by making birdies on the last two holes.

“This course gives you a lot of scoring opportunities and is yet quite intimidating as the par-3s here are very challenging because of the tight greens and the wind coming into play.

“I took some time off from golf at the start of the mid-season break and that helped me a lot. I also worked on my fitness during the break.”

Veer Ganapathy of Bengaluru

Teenager Veer Ganapathy, playing in familiar conditions at his second home course, capitalized on his local knowledge at JWGC with a fiery effort that consisted of eight birdies and a bogey. His accurate tee shots and exceptional wedge shots were the highlight of his round. Veer, a three-time winner on the junior circuit including the All India Junior last year, sank two birdies on the front-nine before adding six more birdies and a bogey on the back-nine.

The left-handed Veer, son of former Indian professional Rahul Ganapathy, is currently ranked number three on the Indian junior circuit. Veer’s father Rahul, a three-time winner on the PGTI, also happens to be his coach.

Veer said, “I played well as I hit my wedges really close and didn’t leave myself any long putts. I started off slow but the birdie on the sixth got my round going. I also recovered well towards the end after a late bogey.

“It was good to have my parents following me today. As advised by my father, I just went out there and enjoyed myself. My home course is KGA in Bengaluru but JWGC also feels like a home course to me because I play here once a month at least.”

Angad Cheema posted a flawless 63 while Arjun Sharma made nine birdies and two bogeys to shoot the same score.

Mysuru-based professionals Yashas Chandra and Aalaap I L shot scores of 64 to be bunched in tied fifth along with five other players.

Gurugram’s Manu Gandas, one of the favourites this week, carded a 66 to be tied 16th.

 

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