Sunit Chowrasia, Mukeem Ali, and Dipankar Kaushal all carded three-under 67 rounds to lead the DP World PGTI NexGen tournament in Varanasi. Chowrasia, the current Order of Merit leader, arrived in Varanasi after consecutive victories in other tournaments. He expressed satisfaction with his performance despite a few setbacks during the round.
Mukeem Ali, starting from the fifth hole, also scored a three-under 67, crediting his strong putting for his success. Dipankar Kaushal, with an eagle and several birdies in his round, highlighted his solid ball-striking skills. The challenging course saw only a few players scoring even-par 70 or better on the first day.
Delhi’s Pawan Verma and Gurugram’s Nikhil Sharma shared fourth place, while Kolkata’s Pratim Kumar and Souvik Nayak, along with local favorite Hemant Yadav of Varanasi, followed closely behind. The NexGen tournament aims to promote golf in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India, fostering competition and talent development in the country’s golfing scene.
