Masters 2023: Rohan Dhole Patil hits front on day one

NEW DELHI: Pune's Rohan Dhole Patil hit the front with a top-notch seven-under 65 on day one of the Masters 2023 being played at the Digboi Golf Links. Delhi's Sachin Baisoya, the winner of the last PGTI event and Greater Noida's Arjun Sharma fired scores of 66 to be tied for second.

PGTI Ranking leader Om Prakash Chouhan struck a 67 to be placed tied fourth along with Mohd Azhar, Bangladesh's Md Akbar Hossain and Sri Lanka's K Prabagaran. Deven Bhumij was the highest-placed among the Digboi-based professionals after he carded a 69 to be tied 12th.

Rohan Dhole Patil's opening round gave him hope of a turnaround as he has been struggling to find form this season having made five cuts out of 14 starts and registering just one top-10. The 27-year-old Rohan, who turned pro in 2022, had a fruitful front-nine on Wednesday that featured three birdies including one great recovery from the hazard and an eagle on the ninth that came as a result of a chip-in.

On the back nine, Rohan offset his two bogeys with four birdies that included some good chip-putts. Rohan said, "My form has not been good this season but I'll look to capitalize on this solid start. My short game was sharp, especially from the ninth hole onwards where I chipped in. The key over the next three days will be to sink as many putts as possible."

The tournament was inaugurated on Wednesday morning by Debajit Gogoi, ED and Refinery Head, Digboi Refinery, who did the ceremonial tee-off and planted a Sapling at the Digboi Golf Links during the inauguration ceremony.