In-form Madappa sets the pace

Viraj Madappa continued his rich vein of form to emerge sole leader after carding a fine three-under 69 in the opening strokeplay round of the Tata Steel 114th All-India Amateur Golf Championship here at the Karnataka Golf Association on Tuesday.

The trio of Yashas Chandra, Samarth Dwivedi and local lad Trishul Chinnappa are tied for second a stroke behind, while Aman Raj and Kushal Singh are tied fifth at 70.

In the International Team Event, it was India ‘C’ on top with the help of Dwivedi’s 70 and Arjun Sharma’s even-par 72. India ‘B’ of Pratap Atwal (75) and Aman Raj (71) are four strokes behind in second place followed by India ‘A’ of Udayan Mane and Simarjeet Singh at 152.  Viraj, who last week won the All-India Junior title and is looking to emulate S Chikkarangapa in holding the amateur crown as well at the same time, opened with four straight pars before sinking a birdie on the 14th hole. He then picked up shots on the first, third and fifth holes before dropping his lone shot of the day on the sixth.Leading score (after 18 holes): Individual championship: 69: Viraj Madappa; 70: Yashas Chandra, Samarth Dwivedi, Trishul Chinnappa; 71: Kushal Singh, Aman Raj; 72: Arjun Sharma, Rayhan Thomas. International team event: 142: India ‘C’; 146: India ‘B’; 152: India ‘A’.