Colombo, Dec 23 (NationPress) Aryan Roopa Anand, making his debut at the iconic Royal Colombo Golf, delivered an outstanding performance with a 9-under 62 on the first day of the IGPL Invitational Sri Lanka, marking the concluding event of the 2025 Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) Tour on Tuesday.

The two-time All India amateur champion, Aryan, started strong with back-to-back birdies and concluded his round similarly, achieving a total of nine birdies and one eagle, despite posting a bogey on each nine. Meanwhile, Jeev Milkha Singh, India's renowned professional golfer, enjoyed his first IGPL experience, finishing the day at 7-under, including five birdies in the last six holes, putting him in second place.

Local talent Kaya Daluwatte secured third place with a score of 6-under 65, becoming the leading female player after the initial round. The next best female competitor, Pranavi Urs, slipped from 5-under after 15 holes to 2-under, concluding with a bogey-double bogey-par finish.

The 54-year-old Jeev expressed his delight not only with his score but also with the presence of numerous young talents in the IGPL field, as several legends shared the spotlight with the next generation of Indian golf.

Currently leading the IGPL Order of Merit, Aman Raj, alongside six-time Asian Tour winner SSP Chawrasia, tied for fourth at 4-under. Meanwhile, former double IGPL champion Gaganjeet Bhullar, along with consistently performing Sachin Baisoya, promising Veer Ganapathy, IGPL UAE winner Karandeep Kochhar, and Harendra Gupta, formed a five-way tie for sixth place.

The leaderboard showcased remarkable talent with ten players scoring four-under or better on a day of low scoring.

“I doubt there's any other pro Tour like this. The IGPL is uniting legends of Indian golf with promising amateurs, allowing the young stars to learn by observing the seniors. Plus, we had some exceptional female players,” commented Jeev, who now splits his time between senior Tours in Europe, Japan, and select Asian Tour events.

Within Jeev's group was Veer Ganapathy, son of former pro Rahul Ganapathy, while Zorarvar, son of Jyoti Randhawa, played alongside Gaganjeet Bhullar, and Harjai was paired with Jyoti Randhawa.

Among the legends, Jeev had the best performance at 7-under, with SSP Chawrasia at 5-under, Gaganjeet Bhullar at 4-under, and Jyoti Randhawa at 1-over 72. Among the young players, Veer scored 4-under 67, Zoravar carded even par 71, and Harjai posted 3-over 74.

“Today, I felt quite relaxed, and my putter was working well, leading to a great score. I had previously shot something like 6-under in Ahmedabad, and I aimed to surpass it. When I reached 7-under with two holes left, someone suggested finishing with birdie-birdie, and it happened,” shared leader Aryan, who is still in pursuit of his first professional victory.

Jeev, who was thrilled to compete in the IGPL for the first time, relished playing alongside many young talents. “I've always wanted to play this historic course, but it never happened until now, during the Pro-Am with legendary cricketer Mahela Jayawardene, which was an absolute joy since he plays exceptionally well.”

“It was my first competitive round in Colombo. Although it was quite hot, I acclimatized as the round progressed. After being two-under for the first twelve holes, finishing with five birdies in the last six holes felt fantastic,” remarked Jeev, who also connected with old friends.

“I've played a lot of golf with Jyoti Randhawa and SSP Chawrasia. It was fun to share the field with them again today. What added to the joy was playing alongside Zoravar, my son Harjai, and Veer Ganapathy, son of Rahul Ganapathy.

Jeev started with only 2-under for the first twelve holes, working to adapt to the heat in his first appearance in Colombo. However, he found his rhythm and birdied four consecutive holes from the 13th to the 16th, missed a birdie on the 17th, and finished with another birdie, totaling five in the last six holes.

Meeting local aspirations was Kaya Daluwatte, a promising Sri Lankan amateur, who was selected as one of the rising stars for the R&A’s Academy in New Zealand earlier this year.

Kaya, who has represented Sri Lanka at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific (WAAP), shot 6-under 65, featuring a remarkable sequence of six birdies in the last seven holes. She emerged as the top female player in the field. “Playing alongside two Olympians, Udayan Mane and SSP Chawrasia, was fantastic, and I learned so much just by observing them,” stated the 16-year-old Kaya, who is set to join Pepperdine for college golf in the U.S. next year.