Sangwan shoots 73, in lead

The opening day was dominated by the foreign contingent, but India had a few highs to cherish as the 4th Albatross International Junior Golf Championship got under way on Wednesday at the Jaypee Greens Golf Resort in Greater Noida.

Piyush Sangwan, who has collected several titles this season, was superb on the opening day, holding off the challenge of top internationals to lead Category 'B'. An unfazed Piyush shot a 73 to trump the efforts of Luca Filippi of South Africa and Thailand's Puwit Anupansuebsai.Indian girls also sparkled on Day One, with Ankita Kedlaya and Seher Atwal excelling in Category 'B'.

Ankita goes into the second day with a one-shot lead over Seher and Kanyalak Preedasutthijit of Thailand.Tapendra Ghai shone in the top category ('A') as his card of level-par 72 was one shot better than Feroz Garewal and three ahead of Manu Gandas, giving the hosts a good start in this category.

The star of the day, undoubtedly, was Malaysia's Lucas Yee Jung Jin, who returned one of the only under-par scores of the day— a brilliant three-under 69 in Category 'C'. It was the day's best card by far, and gave Lucas a commanding lead of nine shots. Category `A' (girls) saw South Africa's Cara Gorlei finish 18 holes on 73, which gave her a lead of two shots over fellow South African, Magda Kruger, and Benyapa Niphatsophon of Thailand.

In Category 'C' (girls), Kornkamal Sukaree enjoyed a comfortable advantage over her challengers; as the Thai's 79 was six shots better from her closest competitor — India's Arshia Mahant. Thailand juniors also held the upper hand in Category 'D' with Nattabutara Unyamanee (boys) and Unyamanee Wongaroon (girls) topping the leaderboard, ahead of, respectively, Pratyush Sharma and Anika Varma.

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