Kapil Dev Invitational Tour Championship:<\/b> Shaurya Bhattacharya opened with a six-under-66 to establish a two-shot lead after the first round of the Kapil Dev Invitational Tour Championship at the Jaypee Greens Golf & Spa Resort in Greater Noida on Wednesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 23-year-old Bhattacharya, a three-time winner on the DP World PGTI, made seven birdies and dropped his only shot of the day on the par-four eighth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhattacharya began the week ranked 14th in the Race to DP World India Championship. He has come close to adding another title this season, recording joint runner-up finishes at the Players Championship 2026 in February and the Kolar Open 2026 in August.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Chandigarh\u2019s Shubhankar Sharma, a two-time PGTI Tour winner, occupied second place at four-under 68. His round featured an eagle on the par-five 12th, three birdies and one bogey.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shubhankar won the Boulders Classic on the PGTI in April, ending an eight-year wait for a professional title.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bangladesh\u2019s Jamal Hossain, Gurugram\u2019s Dhruv Sheoran and Bengaluru\u2019s Manoj S returned matching two-under 70s to share third place. Jamal made three birdies against a solitary bogey, while Sheoran mixed six birdies with four bogeys. Manoj registered five birdies and three bogeys.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shaurya settled quickly with birdies on his opening two holes before relying on accurate approach play and patient course management to maintain his momentum. \u201cI got off to a strong start with birdies on the first two holes, which helped me settle into the round,\u201d Shaurya said. \u201cFrom there, I continued finding greens and stayed patient. The lone bogey was disappointing, but I holed some important putts.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A long birdie putt on the final hole provided the finishing touch to his 66 and extended his advantage to two strokes. \u201cThe putt on the last felt like a bonus,\u201d he said. \u201cI knew it would be a long day, so the key was to remain calm, keep my thoughts together and focus on one shot at a time.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The tournament features a distinctive Pro-Am format, with amateurs competing alongside professionals in all four rounds. The extended playing schedule also took part of the field into floodlit conditions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe format is quite interesting because we are playing alongside amateurs, and the number of groups makes it a long day,\u201d Shaurya said. \u201cPlaying under floodlights also requires some adjustment, but I competed in an event here in similar conditions a few weeks ago, so that experience helped me adapt quickly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe conditions were the same for everyone. I concentrated on hitting greens, creating opportunities and maintaining a steady rhythm throughout the round.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Current Race to India Championship leader Saptak Talwar opened with a three-over 75 to share 36th place.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThe conditions were the same for everyone. I concentrated on hitting greens, creating opportunities and maintaining a steady rhythm throughout the round.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Also Read: <\/b> Special Cricket Stories<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n