India A leads the pack

India A leads the pack
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Mumbai, January 7: The India ‘A’ team, comprising Rahil Gangjee and Ashok Kumar, led their nearest rivals South Africa by two strokes on the first day of the two-day International Team Championships at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club course here on Sunday.

It was Ashok Kumar, the 17-year-old lad from Delhi, playing with a handicap of +4, who took over from his senior partner Gangjee, coming in with a one-under score of 69.

Ganjee, who had scorched the turf at the BPGC with a six-under 64 while winning the recently concluded Western India Open, came home on par 70, for a combined score of 139.

Ashok Kumar had birdies on the first and third hole and a bogey on the ninth to finish the front nine one-under, 34. On the back nine, he had a bogey on the 11th, which he nullified with a birdie on the 18th, to finish par-35 and one-under over the 18 holes.

Sharing the spotlight with Ashok Kumar was South Africa’s Dean Lambert, with a +2 handicap, who also returned a one-unde score of 69. However, his teammate, Richard Stern, who enjoys a +1 handicap, did not have too good a first round, finishing two over 72, for a combined score of 141.

In third place was Sri Lanka’s ‘A’ team of KA Chandradasa and RAA Rohana with 144. While Chandradasa came home on par, Rohana finished four strokes over, at 74.

The India ‘B’ and India ‘C’ teams were in fifth and sixth place with 148 and 149 respectively.

Lambert, 25, who has represented his country’s ‘A’ team in the World Amateur championships for the Eisenhower Trophy, also finished his front nine one-under, 34 with birdies on the first and fifth and a bogey on the 11th. On the back nine, he had a birdie on the 16th and a bogey on the 11th.

He was well-placed for a birdie on the 18th, but his third shot, a bit too ambitious, was long. He then missed his fourth, the ball stopping tantalisingly close to the lip of the hole and Lambert had to settle for par.

Much was expected from his partner Richard Stern, who with a handicap of +1 came here with the huge reputation of having won the South African amateur title in 1998.

The position
India ‘A’ 139 (Ashok Kumar 69, Rahil Gangjee 70); South Africa 141 (Dean Lambert 69, Richard Stern 72); Sri Lanka ‘A’ 144 (KA Chandradasa 70, RAA Rohana 74); Australia 147 (Scott Strange 75, Dean Alaban 72); India ‘B’ 148 (Simarjeet Singh 76, Manav Das 72); India ‘C’ 149 (Anitya Chand 77, Keshav Mishra 72); Malaysia 150 (Airil Ziman Zahari 74, Mohd. Shaaban Husin 76); Sri Lanka ‘B’ 154 (BGL Kumara 77, FJ Desaran 77); Great Britain and Ireland 160 (Craig Heap 71, Jeff Toye 89).