Gurugram, 27-03-2025

AJEETESH SANDHU BEST INDIAN AT FOURTH AS THREE PLAYERS SHARE LEAD ON OPENING DAY OF HERO INDIAN OPEN

Marcus Armitage of England, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Sweden’s Marcus Kinhult fired scores of four-under 68 to share the first-round lead at the 2025 Hero Indian Open being played at the DLF Golf & Country Club.

Indians Ajeetesh Sandhu, who carded a 69, and Veer Ahlawat, who returned a 70 and was tied second last year, were the best Indians in tied fourth and tied 10th places respectively.

There were five other Indians in tied 30th place. Two-time Indian Open winner SSP Chawrasia, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Shiv Kapur, Om Prakash Chouhan and Rayhan Thomas shot 72 each on a day when even par was a good score, to be tied 30th.

Chawrasia, the last Indian to win the Indian Open back in 2017, fell to three-over through the first eight holes. He then produced a great fightback on the tougher back-nine. Following bogeys on the first, fourth and the eighth, he was three-over before a birdie on the ninth provided some consolation. He dropped a shot on the 10th to go three-over again.

Then began the damage control as he had two sets of back-to-back birdies – first on the 12th and the 13th and then on the 17th and the 18th – with a bogey in between, for an even par 72.

Sandhu found six birdies in all and gave back three bogeys, while Ahlawat, playing on his home course, started on the back-nine and had three birdies in a row from the 13th. In all he had five birdies and three bogeys.

Sandhu was rather stoic about his round, saying, “I wouldn't say anything was great today but I think everything was above average. I hit a lot of fairways and greens and putted well. Just kept my head on my shoulders through the day and just kept plugging along.

On his bogey on 17th, he added, “Yeah, 17 is just a tricky hole. I hit the fairway, I had 7-iron in, I had a good shot, it just went over the green. It's a really tough chip from there. I hit it to five feet and missed the putt. It hurts a little bit.”

On what the Indian Open means to him, Sandhu added, “The Indian Open is the biggest event probably that I have played. I played it a lot of years now and every time you are teeing up, especially this being our national open, is always a great feeling competing in this. Hopefully, one day I get to lift the trophy.”

Ahlawat said, “I think yes, the course setup is slightly different from last year.  It's playing slightly firmer and few of the flags are a little tucked in. It's tough to hit them, especially if you're not there in the right spot of the fairway.”