Hyderabad, Sep 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) Dhruv Sheoran and local favourite Vishesh Sharma produced matching course-record scores of 10-under 60 to share the opening-round lead at the INR 1 crore Telangana Golconda Masters 2026 in Hyderabad on Tuesday. The pair holds a one-shot advantage after the first round of the tournament’s 12th edition at Hyderabad Golf Association.
The 31-year-old Sheoran, who hails from Gurugram, made 11 birdies against a solitary bogey to register the lowest score of his career. A winner on the DP World PGTI in 2024, he entered the week ranked 12th on the 2026 Race to India Championship.
Starting from the par-five 10th, Sheoran made five consecutive birdies through the 14th before dropping his only shot of the day on the par-four 15th. He recovered immediately and remained bogey-free for the rest of his round.
Hyderabad’s 19-year-old Vishesh, competing in his second season on the PGTI Tour, matched Sheoran during the afternoon session. His 60 featured an eagle on the par-five sixth, nine birdies and one bogey.
Noida’s Amardeep Malik, a two-time winner on the tour, remained one stroke behind the leaders at solo-third after posting a nine-under 61. The 41-year-old made 10 birdies and one bogey. Japan’s Koichiro Ishika, playing his maiden season on the DP World PGTI, produced a bogey-free seven-under 63 to occupy fourth place.
Sheoran’s round began in unlikely fashion when he pulled his opening drive into a bunker on another hole. With trees blocking his route to the green, he shaped a 40-yard cut from about 260 yards, found the putting surface and nearly holed his first putt from 50 feet before tapping in for birdie.
“I got off to a hot start, although the opening tee shot went left and left me out of position,” said Sheoran. “I made good contact with the recovery, found the green and nearly holed the long putt. That gave me a lot of momentum.”
He followed with a 20-foot birdie conversion on the 11th, a 10-footer on the 12th and an eight-footer on the 13th. Sheoran then drove the green on the 14th and two-putted to complete five consecutive birdies.
His only setback came on the 15th, where he pushed a pitching-wedge lay-up into the trees and needed to take a penalty drop. “The birdies had given me a cushion, and I knew the momentum was still on my side, so the mistake did not unsettle me,” he said.
Finding the fairway on the first, a tee shot Sheoran considers particularly challenging, restored his rhythm for the closing stretch. “Once I hit that tee shot the way I wanted, I felt I could express my game,” he said. “From there, I played with controlled aggression and continued executing my tee shots and approaches.”
Sheoran moved his base to Japan in mid-June because his wife is Japanese. The relocation disrupted his usual practice routine, and he initially struggled to rediscover his preferred right-to-left ball flight after returning to competition.
“I was quite rusty when I came back and couldn’t move the ball the way I wanted,” Sheoran said. “I worked with my coach before last week’s Telangana Open and started seeing my preferred ball flight again. The top-10 finish there gave me the confidence I needed, and that progress showed today.”
Sheoran was unaware that he had matched the course record until completing his round. Standing over a 20-foot birdie putt on the last, he mistakenly believed he was nine-under and needed to hole it to equal the mark. “I later realised I was already 10-under,” he said. “It would have been nice to make that putt and establish a new course record.”
Vishesh also learned only after completing his round that he had matched Manu Gandas’ course record from 2022 at his home venue.
“Today’s round was very special, particularly because it came at my home course,” he said. “Everything seemed to go my way. I putted well, struck some good shots and, despite a slow start, stayed patient and kept returning my focus to the present.”
Vishesh converted a 15-foot eagle putt on the sixth, while another highlight arrived on the par-three 16th, where he struck his tee shot to about three feet and made birdie.
However, the teenager felt his par saves were just as valuable as the eagle and birdies. “The rough around the greens is quite thick, and the ball tends to sit down,” Vishesh said. “Even if you miss a green by only a foot, the recovery can be difficult. Saving par from those positions makes a significant difference by the end of the round.”
Matching the course record carried added significance for Vishesh because it came on familiar ground. “It is a special achievement, especially because it happened at my home course,” he said. “Playing here certainly helps. I get to sleep in my own bed, eat home-cooked food prepared by my mother and compete on a course I know extremely well.”
Sri Lanka’s N Thangaraja and Delhi’s Honey Baisoya shared fifth place at six-under 64. Defending champion Jamal Hossain of Bangladesh opened with a two-over 72 and was tied 72nd, while current PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar returned an even-par 70 to share 50th place.
The Race to DP World India Championship is a competition to crown the PGTI’s number one player, and this competition will also determine the top-24 players from the PGTI Order of Merit who will earn their spots at the season-ending DP World India Championship.
Source: IANS
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