Singh was 1-up after 15 holes before Hack pulled back with a birdie. The action on the 18th hole was intense with good tee shots by both. Hack, who recently shot a 59 on a PGTI event in Chattisgarh, then hit his second shot on the par-5 18th to 12 feet, ratcheting up the pressure on Singh.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, Singh responded wonderfully, hitting his second shot from 210 yards to 16 feet. He missed his eagle putt, but so did Hack to tie the match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cObviously, I would have liked to make the putt on the last hole and win, but I\u2019m really happy that I was able to halve the match. It was a really tough match,\u201d said Singh, who turned professional last year. \u201cHe didn\u2019t really give me many chances to go up because he was playing very consistently today. I made six birdies, but it felt like every time I would make a birdie, he would do the same.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI felt really proud that I was chosen by my team for the singles, because singles are the first ones to tee off and the first match definitely sets the pace for the day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Captain Ajeetesh Sandhu\u2019s Rajasthan Regals were off to a fine start, ending the day unbeaten against the strong Kolkata Classics. They won both their singles and the foursomes, and Akshay Sharma and Jairaj Singh Sandhu held the strong pairing of Khalin Joshi and Angad Cheema to a tie.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The foursomes were a good win for Regals, as Chikkarangappa S. and Dhruv Sheoran beat Rashid Khan and Ajay Baisoya by 3&2, despite losing two of the first six holes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sandhu said after the round: \u201cIt was very pleasing. Very happy with the result. I think we had a good plan going into today and we executed accordingly. That was our goal, and I\u2019m really glad that we were able to pull through.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe spoke last night, and eventually, it was a bit of a mix and match. A couple of the guys got along immediately, and we knew that was a strong pairing to go ahead with. Some of the guys were feeling good about their games, and they wanted to play singles. It was a bit of a mix-and-match, but I think every team is trying to figure out as they go along,\u201d said Sandhu.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rajasthan\u2019s K. Prabagaran put up the first win in the history of the PGTI\u2019s 72nd League when he beat veteran Mukesh Kumar 5&4.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Sri Lankan, winner of the 2006 All-India Amateur Championship, won the third and fourth holes with birdies and never looked back. That included a long, well-read 25-foot putt on the fourth. \u201cI really enjoy playing singles, and I thought I played very well against Mukesh. I made some very good putts and drove the ball ok. It\u2019s a proud moment for me that I scored the first point of the new league,\u201d said Prabagaran.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The last match of the day, a fourball between Nava Raipur\u2019s Shivendra Singh Sisodia and Mohammed Azhar against Tapendra Ghai and Kushal Singh of Mumbai Aces, could not be finished because of darkness. The two teams will return to the golf course on Monday, when the tournament comes back to this venue.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The second round of the league will be played on Tuesday at Jaypee Greens Golf Course in Noida. Rajasthan Regals will take on Charminar Champions, while the other two matches will be between Kolkata Classics and Mumbai Aces and UP Prometheans and Nava Raipur.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
League standings after the 1st round:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rajasthan Regals \u2013 13 points<\/p>\r\n\r\n
UP Prometheans \u2013 8 points<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Nava Raipur \u2013 8 points*<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Charminar Champions \u2013 5 points<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mumbai Aces \u2013 2 points*<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Charminar Champions \u2013 5 points<\/p>\r\n\r\n
(* denotes one unfinished fourball match, the result of which will be determined on Monday).<\/p>\r\n\r\n