Naya Raipur, Feb 3 : Akshay Sharma shot a phenomenal nine-under 60 to take the first-round lead at the INR 1.5 crore Chhattisgarh Open 2026, the PGTIâ??s season-opener.

Akshay Sharma took the early lead as he equaled the lowest score ever achieved in a single round at the Fairway Golf & Lake Resort in Naya Raipur.

Akshay, who had a near-perfect round and narrowly missed a hole-in-one on two occasions, matched the record for the lowest score at the venue set by Khalin Joshi last year.

Two-time PGTI winner Akshay of Chandigarh had a bogey-free effort on day one that saw him make five birdies on the front-nine and four on the back-nine. He sank two 15-footers for birdies.

Akshay said, â??It was a dream round being one of those days when every aspect of my game was top-notch â?? driving, iron-play and putting. I missed only three greens in regulation today and missed out on holes-in-one by one foot on two occasions â?? second and 17th. I enjoyed some good form towards the end of last year with a couple of top-10 finishes. I feel Iâ??m now building further on that form. I also had a good outing in Naya Raipur last year with a top-10 finish. So, Iâ??m quite familiar with this course.â??

Sixteen-year-old Kartik Singh, fresh from his tied seventh place finish at the PGTI Qualifying School last week and making his DP World PGTI debut, made an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey on day one to be placed tied second.

Kartik, former India No. 1 Junior and Amateur, said, â??Iâ??m feeling great about starting so well in my very first event on the PGTI. I came back well after a bogey on the first hole. My mindset every day is to shoot a good round and play as well as I can. I made a lot of long putts today and chipped-in once. It is definitely very competitive here on the DP World PGTI and I feel I need to raise my game further to contend here.â??

Earlier in the day, the Honourable Finance Minister of Chhattisgarh Shri O P Choudhary, performed the ceremonial tee-off at 8:30 am.

After the ceremonial tee-off, O P Choudhary met with some top professional golfers participating and also interacted with media persons.

O P Choudhary said, â??Events such as the SECL Chhattisgarh Open go a long way in building a positive image for Chhattisgarh and changing the perception of the state. Our focus has been on developing Nava Raipur Greenfield Capital City and along with that promoting sports in the state. We are expecting many new sporting facilities and academies to come up in Chhattisgarh. Developing sports in the state has many benefits as it creates employment, inspires young sportspersons, showcases the state as a hub of sporting activity and a major tourist destination. This in turn attracts investment which leads to economic growth and revenue generation. The economic growth in the state can then drive the welfare and social schemes for the masses.

â??We look forward to welcoming our national sporting icon Shri Kapil Dev, President, PGTI, on the final day of the tournament. We thank him for being one of the driving forces behind this event. His support and encouragement will be key to making this tournament bigger and better and promoting sports in Chhattisgarh."

/IANS