Jaini ahead by two strokes in PGTI Players Championship

PUNE - Manav Jaini of the Delhi Golf Club returned a five under 66 to establish a two-stroke lead on the opening day of the Aircel PGTI Players Championship.

Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee and Amardip Sinh Malik of Meerut were in joint second place as they shot identical scores of three under 68 at the Poona Club Golf Course, here Tuesday.

Jaini, currently placed eighth on the Rolex Rankings 2010 (Order of Merit), had a slow start as he bogeyed the opening 10th hole. He then rallied with a 15 feet birdie putt on the 11th to get back on track. Thereafter, three more birdies followed on the 12th, 15th and 17th thanks to some good hitting.

A poor chip shot on the second led to the 26-year-old’s second bogey of the day. Jaini, however, more than made up for it with a chip-in from the edge for birdie on the third. Two more birdies on the fifth and seventh meant he finished with a commendable five under 66.

Jaini, said: “I hit it well today and was accurate off the tee. My strategy was to be aggressive off the tee from the very outset as the fairways are narrow from the tee to the green and the rough is not easy to negotiate.

“I, therefore, thought it would better to be aggressive with my tee shot so that even if I find the rough it would not be too far from the green. This strategy seemed to pay off today.

“I recovered well after making bogeys in the very early stages of the first nine and second nine. The birdies on the 11th and third were crucial as they got my confidence going immediately after the setbacks on the 10th and second respectively.

“The course is playing tough and the greens are in great shape. One needs to drive really well to post a low number here.”

Gangjee and Malik fired six birdies and three bogeys in their respective rounds of three under 68 to be tied second.

The Rolex Rankings leader Shamim Khan of Delhi shared fourth place with Digvijay Singh of the DLF Golf & Country Club and Chennai’s Sandeep Syal at two under 69.

Gaganjeet Bhullar, C. Muniyappa, Vinod Kumar and Pappan were tied seventh at one under 70 while Mukesh Kumar fired a two over 73 to be tied 23rd.

Anirban Lahiri, the 2009 Aircel PGTI Order of Merit champion, was tied 37th at three over 74 along with Pune golfers Gurki Shergill and Jaideep Patwardhan. Pune’s Dinesh Raghuvanshi was joint 59th as he carded a five over 76.

Defending champion Mohd. Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh got off to a poor start with a six over 77 to be placed tied 68th. Rajiv Datar of Pune was also placed tied 68th.