Chandigarh’s Gupta lies at tied 13th on Day One

The 24-year-old’s longest putt of the day was a 12-footer for birdie on the third. Malik said,”I had a great round today as I hit it pretty close on most occasions. I have been playing well for quite a while but today everything seemed to be falling in place for me. On the 16th I made a good birdie,having chipped the ball to within four feet of the pin. My approach shot on the fourth landed within one-and-a-half feet of the flag to set up another easy birdie. Another good chip from the fringe of the eighth green resulted in the ball stopping five feet short of the hole.”

“This course is playing tougher than what it did about three years back when I last played here. The par three holes are now longer and the course is also playing longer. Club selection will be the key this week. This course is such that you cannot use a driver everywhere. You need to tee-off on a number of par four holes with a 3-wood,” added Malik,whose previous career-best round of eight under was also recorded at the Qutab Golf Course.

Vijay Kumar sank birdies on the third,fourth,fifth,sixth,11th,14th and 16th and a lone bogey on the seventh in his round of 64. The Lucknow-based professional hit a purple patch from the third to the sixth hole where his hitting was spot-on.

Vijay said,”I was in great hitting form today,especially from the third to the sixth hole. On the third hole,I hit my second shot to within four feet of the pin and on the sixth my three iron tee shot came up just six feet short. The course is playing really well and the winning score could be around 18 to 20 under. Putting would hold the key on this course as long putts will not be easy to sink.” Delhi golfers Ashok Kumar and Manav Jaini are tied third with matching scores of five under 65.