Om Prakash Chouhan shot an incredible eight-under 62 to take the opening-round lead at the second edition of the Rs 1 crore Coal India Open at Tollygunge Club in Kolkata. The 40-year-old golfer from Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, put together an eventful round featuring a hole-in-one on the par-three eighth and an eagle on the par-five 13th. He also made six birdies and two bogeys to establish a one-shot lead.
Former Asian Tour winner Ajeetesh Sandhu of Chandigarh returned a seven-under 63 to occupy second place. Starting from the 10th tee, Sandhu made eight birdies and a lone bogey, which came on the par-four first, his 10th hole of the day.
Delhi’s Shaurya Bhattacharya, ranked 17th on the DP World PGTI Rankings, and Pune’s Kshitij Naveed Kaul, currently fifth in the season standings, shared third place after carding matching six-under 64s. Bangladeshi duo of Jamal Hossain and Badal Hossain, Greater Noida’s Arjun Sharma, and 16-year-old Kartik Singh of Gurugram, one of the youngest professionals on the tour, were tied for fifth following rounds of five-under 65.
Chouhan, who is based at Kalhaar Blues & Greens in Ahmedabad, topped the DP World PGTI Order of Merit in 2023 and is also a former HotelPlanner Tour winner. His familiarity with Tollygunge Club played an important role in his strong start.
“The conditions at Tollygunge Club suit my game, and I enjoy playing this course,” said Chouhan. “I have performed well here in the past having won the last DP World PGTI event staged here in February this year, so I followed a similar game-plan today.”