Pathania, Gupta share first round lead at Jaypee Greens Open

Local favourite Mandeo Singh Pathania and Chandigarh's Harendra Gupta fired identical scores of five-under-67 to share the joint lead after round one of the Jaypee Greens Open golf tournament at the Jaypee Greens Golf Resort here today.
Manav Jaini of Delhi and Chennai's Sandeep Syal are a shot behind the joint leaders in tied third place.
Pathania, playing at his home course, came up with a fine round of 67 that featured seven birdies and two bogeys.
He collected four birdies on the first five holes as he landed it within six feet for birdie on the first and third and narrowly missed an eagle putt on the second.

On the back-nine, Pathania dropped bogeys on the 11th and 13th but more than made up for it, thanks to birdies on the 12th, 16th and 18th.
Pathania, a winner on the PGTI in 2010, sank 15 feet birdie putts on the 16th and 18th.

Gupta shared the first round honours with Pathania as a result of his terrific round that included an eagle, five birdies and two bogeys.
Gupta bogeyed the sixth and ninth and birdied the seventh to make the turn at one-over. He then turned it on with a six-under on the back-nine.
He landed it within four feet for birdie on the 10th and followed that up with another birdie on the 12th before finding the par-5 15th green in two shots to bag an eagle from 10 feet.

Gupta ended the day on a high with birdies on the last two holes. He sank a 25-footer for birdie on the 17th.
Noida's Pradeep Kumar is placed fifth at three-under-69.