US-based Fernandes shoots best at All India Junior golf

Bengaluru: Rigel Fernandes may be just 14, but the quality of golf he showed in the first round of the All India Junior and sub-Junior Amateur Golf championship at the Eagleton Golf Resort was way beyond his age.

Fernandes, who plays at the IMG Golf Course Academy in Florida and featuring in an event in India for the first time, carded an even par 72, the best score for the day across ll age groups.

With three birdies on the first, fourth and 16th against three bogeys on 11th, 14th and 15th, Fernandes led the Group B for 13-15 years.

In the A category (15 - 18 years) Saqib Ahmad from KGA is leading along with Ainesh Ahluwalia from DLF Gurgaon at two-over 74.

At three-over 75 are Trishul Chinnappa (KGA) and Chikkarangappa (Eagleton).

In Group B, Fernandes who has been living in the US for the last five years and won several tournaments including a third position in the under-14 category of the US Kids World golf championship, outdrove all others. He then captialised on it well with some good iron play and putting.

In the C Category (11 to 13 years), Piyush Sangwan from DLF and Prakhar Asawa from Rambagh Golf course, Jaipur are leading the field with 72 and 73 respectively.

At four-over 76 is Karandeep Kochar from Chandigarh. Tanvir Kahlon from Delhi and Arjun Prasad from Hyderabad are tied at fourth position with a score of nine-over 81.

He is followed by Kelly Rao (75) and Viraj Madappa (Tollygunge-Kolkata) and Subhankar Sharma (Army Golf Course, Delhi) at 76.

Jairaj Sandhu and Shivnaren Srinivasan are tied for the fifth at 77.

On the Second day, 30 players each in A & B Category along with 21 players from C category will be playing. Joining them will be six girls each in Category A, B and C along with 30 boys and Girls in D Category (below 11 years) and five children under 8 years.