Karandeep cruises into second round of matchplay

Currently No. 3 on the IGU's Junior boys order of merit, Karandeep Kochhar of Chandigarh has showcased his best form as he defeated his city mate Zubin Nijawahan 4&2 on the first day of matchplay segment of the 115th Amateur Golf Championship of India here today.
Both Kochhar, age 16 and Zubin, 23, kept on challenging each other untill Kochhar hit a birdie on 12th and went 3 up at the Classic Golf Resort. Kochhar then kept the momentum to claim a memorable triumph after firing a birdie on 16th hole.
Winner of the day two of strokeplay event Kochhar said, "Both of us struggled initially but my hitting really saved the day for me and I won my first match play competition. The turning point came on the 13th when Zubin three-putted and I missed the chip putt. In my mind the game was almost over. I am excited to play against Shiv Naren Srinivasan tomorrow and hope to get into the quarter finals after beating him."

Another highlight of the day was Sri Lankan Sisira Kumara, seeded 31, upset Delhi's Arjun Prasad 1-up. Arjun was the runner-up of strokeplay championship.
The no. 1 amateur of the country Aman Raj edged past veteran Gagan Verma 1-up to set up a meeting with Ankur Chadha. Kolkata's sensation Viraj Madappa won the match from Harjot Singh Soni 3&2 to face Shubham Narain.
The leader of the day one of stroke play event, Yashas Chandra defeated Parav Kalra 3&1 and will meet experienced Simarjeet Singh tomorrow.
A total of 16 players will play the second round of match play tomorrow morning followed by the quarterfinals which will be a clash between eight players who qualify from the morning matches. The tournament will conclude on Sunday with the 36-hole final.