Ahmedabad, March 4 : Sri Lankan golfer N. Thangaraja took the round one lead courtesy of his brilliant seven-under 65 at the INR 1 crore Ahmedabad Open 2025, which is being played at the Kensville Golf & Country Club near here. Italy's Michele Ortolani was second at four-under 68. The Delhi duo of Anshul Kabthiyal and Kapil Kumar and Chandigarh's Harendra Gupta were tied for third with scores of two-under 70.

N. Thangaraja, who finished third at last week's PGTI event in Raipur, continued his good form on Tuesday. Starting from the 10th tee, Thangaraja collected an eagle and two birdies at the expense of a bogey on the back nine.

The 43-year-old, four-time winner on the PGTI then had an even better front nine where he scored four birdies. Thanga sank two 30-footers and landed a chip within inches on the front nine. However, the highlight of his round was the extraordinary punch shot from the trees on the seventh that stopped three feet from the flag.

'It was a very windy day, but I handled it well. I hit 13 greens in regulation, and my putting was excellent. The best moment of the day was the punch shot from the trees on the seventh where I did not have a full swing and was just looking to find the edge of the green. However, that incredible shot saw the ball stop merely three feet from the pin," Thanga said at the end of the first round.

'I'm carrying the confidence from last week's performance. Scoring a 65 in such tough conditions adds to my self-belief going forward in the tournament,' he said.

Michele Ortolani's short game held his round together as he made several ups and downs. Ortolani, fresh from a runner-up finish on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) recently, made five birdies and a bogey on Tuesday. His round featured a great bunker shot on the 14th that landed inches from the hole and led to a birdie.

Varun Parikh's 73 made him the highest-placed among the Ahmedabad-based players as he occupied tied 14th place.

/IANS