AHMEDABAD: Sunhit Bishnoi of Gurugram fired a six-under 66 to establish his lead in round one of the Final Qualifying Stage at the TATA Steel PGTI Qualifying School on Tuesday.
Varun Parikh of Ahmedabad struck an error-free five-under 67 to be placed second at the Kalhaar Blues & Greens Golf Club.
Twenty-one-year-old Bishnoi, who has been India's top-ranked junior in the past, produced a flurry of birdies early in his round as he picked up strokes on the 11th, 12th and 14th.
A bogey followed for Bishnoi on the 15th before the newly-turned pro from the DLF Golf & Country Club scored four more birdies on the front-nine.
Sunhit, a winner on the amateur circuit last year and a six-time winner on the junior tour, landed it within six feet of the flag on five occasions on Tuesday thanks to his outstanding wedge-play.
Bishnoi, making his first attempt at the PGTI Qualifying School, said, "Distance off the tee is one of my strengths and I capitalised on that today. I made all the par-5s count with my good ball-striking. I also played some excellent wedge shots into the green. My putting was quite consistent.
"The fact that I won at my last outing here in Kalhaar playing as a junior helped my confidence coming into the Qualifying School.
"Finishing inside the top-5 at my Pre Qualifying event further added to my confidence ahead of the Final Stage. My coach Karan Bindra has always believed in my abilities and I would like to thank him for that."
The top 80 players (+ ties) will make the cut after round two of the Final Qualifying Stage. At the end of round four, the top 40 players will earn their full cards for the 2022 PGTI season.
