Rahil Gangjee staked an early claim to keep the Guajarat Kensville Challenge title in Indian hands with an impressive round of 68 on the opening morning of the €200,000 event, the first of the 2012 Challenge Tour season.
Despite increasingly blustery conditions at the Jeev Milka Singh-designed Kensville Golf and Country Club in Ahmedabad, north-west India, Gangjee covered the front nine in just 32 strokes to reach the turn on four under par.
The course record of 67 appeared in grave danger when he added further gains at the 10th and 12th holes, only for consecutive bogeys from the 13th to check his charge.
A birdie at the 15th hole was cancelled out by a closing bogey to leave Gangjee one stroke clear of his close friend and compatriot Shiv Kapur, who signed for a flawless round of 69 on his Challenge Tour debut.
Kapur claimed that the season Gangjee has just spent competing on the US Nationwide Tour had made him a better, more aggressive player, and the man himself was inclined to agree with his mentor’s assessment.
He said: “I’m now always thinking of the next birdie, not about playing safe, and that’s the sort of mindset you need if you’re going to win on the Challenge Tour, the Nationwide Tour or any of the world Tours. Maybe on the back nine today I made a few silly mistakes, but better to try to make birdies than to be conservative. Now the aim is to go low again tomorrow.
“I think to follow up a good round with another good round is what everybody looks to do. It’s not always easy, but if I get into the same rhythm that I had today, I’ve got a good chance. I hit the ball well and putted really well, which is very encouraging.
“I like the course, it’s very well-designed and makes you think off the tee. It also forces you to hit it straight off the tee – you’re ok if you miss on the right, but there’s a lot of water on the left. That is especially true of the back nine, whereas the front nine is a bit more open so that’s where you have to make your score if you can.”
Kapur lost his playing privileges on The European Tour last term after six seasons on the top tier, but proved that his confidence remained intact with a dominant display.
After ten straight pars, a birdie putt from 20 feet on the 11th green proved the catalyst for a back nine of 33.
Kapur, who has taken up membership of the Challenge Tour, is hoping his round will act as a springboard for his maiden title on the European circuit, having won once on the Asian Tour.
He said: “That putt on 11 really got things going. It’s quite easy to get frustrated when you’re playing well but not holing birdie putts, but I finally got one to drop so that gave me some momentum. Then I hit it close on the 13th and holed a good putt on the next, but missed a couple coming home. But I played quite steady overall.
“If you have a bogey-free round, I guess you know your game is in good shape. I didn’t make too many mistakes and kept the ball in play, and on the holes where I missed the green I was only a yard or two out, so I didn’t really leave myself in any tough positions to make pars. I’m pleased with a round like that after taking a month off, which is what I needed to recover from a disappointing season on The European Tour last year. I thought there might be some rust in the system after a month away, but my game was pretty sharp.”
With the afternoon starters yet to complete their rounds, third place is currently shared by the Swedish duo of Björn Åkesson and Jens Dantorp, England’s Seve Benson and Indian Manav Jaini, each of whom signed for a round of 70.
Bhullar’s title defence got off to a steady start, meanwhile, as the young Indian began with eight successive pars before dropping a shot on the ninth hole to reach the turn on one over par.
His back nine was much more eventful, however, as he birdied the 12th, 13th and 14th holes to move to two under par. Mistakes on the 16th and 17th holes led to back to back bogeys, but a birdie on the final hole meant he finished the day on one under par.
“The back nine was a bit better,” he said. “I was a bit more aggressive and hit the ball well. There were two silly mistakes on the 16th and 17th, but I guess it’s the first round and everybody does that. I’m looking forward to the second round now.
“I think the winning score will be low again, but then every year the players are improving and the standard is improving, so you never know if somebody will shoot in the mid-60s because that score is out there on this golf course. It could have been better today, but there’s always tomorrow.”
