Kartik, Pawan joint first round leaders at Final Qualifying Stage

Amateur Kartik Sharma of the DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurugram and Delhi's Pawan Verma took the joint first round lead at the PGTI's Final Qualifying Stage for the 2020 season with identical scores of two-under-70.

While 19-year-old Kartik, one of India's leading amateurs in recent years, drained five birdies in exchange for three bogeys, Pawan, the 2018 Feeder Tour Order of Merit champion, picked up seven birdies at the cost of five bogeys at the Kensville Golf & Country Club.

Kartik, who represented the international team at the Junior Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia last year, made three long birdie conversions from a range of 12 to 25 feet during his round.

Kartik, making his first attempt at the PGTI Qualifying School, said, "I played well in the Pre Qualifying having finished tied fourth in Pre Q I. I feel I've carried that momentum into the Final Stage."