Adhiraaj Singh Gill Takes Early Lead at IGU Southern India Junior Boys Golf Championship
Adhiraaj Singh Gill Leads in Challenging Conditions
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 19: On a breezy day at the Coimbatore Golf Club, Adhiraaj Singh Gill showcased his skills to take the lead on the first day of the IGU Southern India Junior Boys Golf Championship held on Tuesday.
The 16-year-old golfer from Jalandhar, relatively new to the IGU circuit, recorded a score of two-over 74, placing him one shot ahead of the well-performing Vihaan Jain, who finished with a score of 75. Prince Bainsla, the winner of the season's opening event, trailed closely in third place, just one stroke behind.
The windy conditions posed significant challenges for players, affecting their yardage and club choices. However, Gill, participating in his first complete season on the IGU circuit, managed to navigate the tough scoring environment effectively.
Gill made birdies on the sixth and ninth holes, as well as the 18th. Despite a challenging drive on the final hole that landed him in the trees, he executed a remarkable recovery with a stunning 3-wood shot, followed by a wedge that brought him within 12 feet of the hole, which he successfully putted.
He faced setbacks with dropped shots on the fifth, 12th, and 16th holes, including a double bogey on the par-3 seventh, where his 7-iron tee shot went off to the right of the green.
Vihaan Jain had a rocky start, losing strokes on four consecutive holes starting from the fifth. However, he quickly regained his composure, sinking a 10-foot putt on the ninth to recover a shot, and later made a 12-foot birdie putt on the 15th to stay close to the leader.
In the younger categories, Chaitanya Pandey and Shan Alvi led in Categories 'B' (ages 13-14) and 'C' (ages 11-12) respectively.
Leading scores after 18 holes: Category 'A' (ages 15-17): 74: Adhiraaj Singh Gill (Punjab); 75: Vihaan Jain (Delhi); 76: Prince Bainsla (Haryana); 77: Vivaan Ubhayakar (Karnataka), Siidhaan Chhibber (Haryana), Nilofer Sivamoorthy (Tamil Nadu).
Category 'B' (ages 13-14): 79: Chaitanya Pandey (Delhi); 81: Saatvic Kumar Singh (Telangana); 82: Siddhant Sharma (Haryana); 83: Vivaan Pinnapureddy (Telangana), Jaibir Singh Kang (Haryana).
Category 'C' (ages 11-12): 82: Shan Alvi (Delhi); 83: Drona Singh Dhull (Haryana); 86: Jot Sarup Gupta (Punjab); 87: Vivaan Singh (Karnataka), Aviraj Singh Aulakh (Maharashtra), Vivaan Vijai (Karnataka).