The 23-year-old Bhattacharya, fresh from his top-10 finish in Asia last week and playing his first event of the 2026 DP World PGTI season, soared to the top of the leaderboard with two eagles during his first round score of six-under 64 at the Par-70 course.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Delhi-based Bhattacharya\u2019s namesake, Shaurya Sharma, who is playing his second season as a professional, struck a 65 to be tied second along with Manish Thakran, a winner on the PGTI NexGen last year. After starting from the 10th hole, Bhattacharya was on a roll over the first five holes, where he made two birdies and an eagle on the 13th, the latter coming as a result of a chip-in. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhattacharya\u2019s bogey on the 16th did not derail his round as he added another eagle on the fourth, followed by a birdie on the seventh. Bhattacharya holed his approach shot from 110 yards for an eagle-two on the fourth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhattacharya, who finished third in the DP World PGTI Ranking last season courtesy of his two wins, said, \u201cI\u2019m happy that I\u2019ve been very consistent and I\u2019m making most fairways and greens. My driving has stood out, and my misses are also getting narrower. I\u2019ve drawn a lot of positives from my performances last year. The fact that I played well in Malaysia last week added to my confidence. It\u2019s great to start the year with a top-10 finish.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhattacharya\u2019s bogey on the 16th did not derail his round as he added another eagle on the fourth, followed by a birdie on the seventh. Bhattacharya holed his approach shot from 110 yards for an eagle-two on the fourth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Manish Thakran also put together six birdies and a bogey on Tuesday. He regularly landed it within seven feet to pick up birdies. The highest-placed among the Kolkata golfers was Mohammad Sanju, who carded a 68 to be tied 15th.<\/p>\r\n\r\n