Jamshedpur, January 26, 2024: Ahmedabad golfer Jay Pandya shot a red-hot eight-under 63 in round two to total 10-under 132 and thus finish on top at the Pre-Qualifying I of the TATA Steel PGTI Qualifying School 2024 being played at the Golmuri Golf Course in Jamshedpur.
From a total field of 122 in Pre-Qualifying I, the top 22 players qualified for the Final Qualifying Stage as the cut was declared at one-under 141.
Twenty-five-year-old Jay Pandya (69-63), who was overnight tied 14th and four off the lead at the start of round two, fired an outstanding 63 to finish two shots clear of the rest of the field. Jay, who turned pro in 2020, struck it close to the pins through the day that helped him pick up nine birdies at the cost of a lone bogey.
Pandya ended the event in style with birdies on the last five holes. His longest putt of the day was a 25-feet conversion on the closing 18th.
Jay said, “I was in a good position halfway through my second round of Pre-Qualifying last year. However, I suffered a meltdown on the back-nine and thus failed to make it to the Final Stage. That was playing out in my mind today so I took it one hole at a time and focused really hard. I was on the edge on the back-nine but stuck to my process and stayed patient.”
Local lad Karan Taunk (68-66) secured tied second place at eight-under 134 along with Yash Majmudar (66-68).
Sagar Raghuvanshi made a hole-in-one on the 17th during his round of 68. Sagar qualified having finished tied 15th at two-under 140.
