Joshi emerges on top on day 1 of Karnataka Golf Festival

With India's top amateur golfers Chikkarangappa, Khalin Joshi, Syed Saquib Ahmed and Trishul Chinappa taking the field, the Karnataka Golf Association was witness to some great competition. Former cricketer Syed Kirmani was also there.

Joshi, true to his billing as India's top amateur golfer, scored a 2 under par 70 to end with the day's best gross score of 38 Nett under the Stableford format.

Speaking about his performance Khalin said, "It was a good day for me, and it felt nice to play in this beautiful weather. It is always a pleasure to come back and play at the KGA, my home course, as the people are so supportive and encouraging."

In the 0-5 handicap category Jaibir Singh emerged victorious with a score of 39 Nett, quelling the challenge from Trishul Chinappa who finished runner-up with a total score of 34 Nett. Playing off a Handicap of 9, K Shashidhar Reddy topped the 6-10 Handicap category with a score of 34 Nett while N K Lenka (Handicap 10) finished runner-up with a score of 34 Nett.

In the 11-15 Handicap category, Zubaer Ahmed, playing off a Handicap of 14, finished on top of the leaderboard (34 Nett) after beating Tony Udagedara's stiff challenge. Munesh V, with a Handicap of 20, won in the 16-20 Handicap category with a score of 47 Nett and James Goh (Handicap 18) was the runner-up with a score of 41 Nett.

21-24 Handicap category saw some stiff competiton for the top spot. Raghu S with a Handicap of 21 overcame tough challenge from Mohan Tayel, ending with a score of 40 Nett, while Mohan with a score of 37 Nett came a close second. To make the competition more exciting, different challenges were held through the first day.