Kolkata, Feb 17 (IANS) Shaurya Bhattacharya, a three-time winner on the PGTI Tour, set the pace in round one of the INR 1.5 crore PGTI Players Championship 2026 being played at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata.

The 23-year-old Bhattacharya, fresh from his top-10 finish in Asia last week and playing his first event of the 2026 DP World PGTI season, soared to the top of the leaderboard with two eagles during his first round score of six-under 64 at the Par-70 course.

Delhi-based Bhattacharya’s namesake, Shaurya Sharma, who is playing his second season as a professional, struck a 65 to be tied second along with Manish Thakran, a winner on the PGTI NexGen last year. After starting from the 10th hole, Bhattacharya was on a roll over the first five holes, where he made two birdies and an eagle on the 13th, the latter coming as a result of a chip-in.

Bhattacharya’s bogey on the 16th did not derail his round as he added another eagle on the fourth, followed by a birdie on the seventh. Bhattacharya holed his approach shot from 110 yards for an eagle-two on the fourth.

Bhattacharya, who finished third in the DP World PGTI Ranking last season courtesy of his two wins, said, “I’m happy that I’ve been very consistent and I’m making most fairways and greens. My driving has stood out, and my misses are also getting narrower. I’ve drawn a lot of positives from my performances last year. The fact that I played well in Malaysia last week added to my confidence. It’s great to start the year with a top-10 finish.”

Shaurya Sharma, who had a top-15 finish at the PGTI Qualifying School in January, came up with six birdies and a bogey on day one. His birdies included a chip-in and a conversion each from a range of 15 and 30 feet.

Manish Thakran also put together six birdies and a bogey on Tuesday. He regularly landed it within seven feet to pick up birdies. The highest-placed among the Kolkata golfers was Mohammad Sanju, who carded a 68 to be tied 15th.

–IANS

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