Rajat Rai impressed in the opening round of the Western Amateur Championships held at Denarau Golf & Racquet Club yesterday. Based in New Zealand and playing off a two handicap, Rai delivered an exceptional gross score of 74, establishing a strong lead among his competitors. His steady and poised performance has placed him at the forefront of the leaderboard, making him a key player to watch in the event.
Trailing closely behind are Nitulesh Mali and Kaushal Tappoo, both of whom recorded scores of 75. Notably, Mali, who has a handicap of -2, achieved a net score of 77. PJ Singh and Shakil Pillay also showed strong form with gross scores of 75 and 78, respectively.
The competition is heating up, with Asish Chand finishing the round with a gross score of 79, keeping him in contention. Meanwhile, players Biran Kumar and Rohit Chandra struggled, finishing with scores of 80, while Jeral Sharma and Kavitesh Prasad posted scores of 81 and 83, respectively. Raghu C and Neeraj Chadha both ended with scores of 86.
A total of 30 golfers participated on the first day of the tournament. Golf Fiji president Amitesh Chandra extended his gratitude to the sponsors, Coastal Rental and Sigatoka Motor Spare Parts.