Thangaraja dominates round one of the Chennai Open 2018 Golf Championship

Colombo-based Thangaraja dominated the opening round with a breathtaking nine-under-61 that featured an eagle, eight birdies and a bogey. It was the joint best round of Thangaraja’s career that gave him a handy three-shot lead. 

Delhi’s Shamim Khan, the 2017 PGTI Order of Merit champion, brought in a card of six-under-64 that placed him second. 

N Thangaraja, eager to make up for missing the cut at the previous edition of the Chennai Open in 2016, looked in menacing form from the very start. The two-time champion on the PGTI, carrying a knee injury since January this year, was striking it like a dream and as a result sank birdies on the first four holes before picking up two more on the sixth and seventh. 

The ever-smiling Thangaraja missed a hole-in-one by a hair’s breadth on the fourth and subsequently missed out on an eagle on the seventh where his chip hit the flag stick and deflected. 

Thangaraja continued his surge on the back-nine with a short eagle conversion on the 12th and two tap-in birdies on the 14th and 15th. His only blemish was the bogey on the 17th.

Thanga, who represented Sri Lanka at the 2010 Asian Games, said, “It’s just been an unbelievable day. It’s only the third time I’ve shot a nine-under. This is my lowest round on the PGTI. My hitting was outstanding especially my driving. The brilliant start set up the round for me. I kept hitting it within five feet to create chances for myself. The only disappointment was missing out on two eagle opportunities on the front-nine. 

Twenty-one-year-old rookie Shivnaren Srinivasan of Chennai, playing at his home course, fired an even-par-70 to be the highest placed among the six Tamil Nadu-based golfers at tied 26th.