Seasoned campaigner N. Thangaraja (Sri Lanka) shot a six-under 66 but Delhi-based Saptak Talwar and Aryan Roopa Anand (Bengaluru) came up with a similar effort to share the lead after the first round in the inaugural Coimbatore Open, presented by KGiSL, at the par-72 CGC course here on Tuesday.
The golfers were a bit sceptical about the wind behaviour but it was relatively calm. Talwar and Thangaraja made the best use of the morning condition to finish on top at the start. The former drove well on the front nine. He set up a birdie on the fifth and an eagle on the ninth. He dropped a shot on the 10th but quickly gained control with four more birdies on the back-nine.
“I expected it to be a bit rough and was mentally prepared for it. But the winds were down and I was happy to take advantage of it,” said Talwar.
