Johannesburg, April 16 (NationPress) Olympian Udayan Mane is in pursuit of his first win at the IGPL Invitational South Africa, starting with an impressive bogey-free round, ending the first day tied for the lead at 7-under 65 alongside Milind Soni and Manav Shah. They finished one stroke ahead of the competition, with six players close behind, just two shots off their pace.

Milind Soni, hailing from Hyderabad, continued his good form from last week’s T-6 finish in Mauritius, also shooting a 65. Manav Shah, an Indian-American with a victory on the Latinomerica Tour to his credit, matched their score.

The leaderboard featured last year’s IGPL Rankings champion, Pukhraj Singh Gill, in fourth place with a score of 66. Following him were Gaganjeet Bhullar, an 11-time winner on the Asian Tour, Karandeep Kochhar, and rising star Saarthak Chhibber, all tied for fifth at 5-under 67.

In the team standings, co-leaders Manav Shah and Milind Soni helped Green Fuels Hyderabad take the lead at 14-under, while Honer Gurugram, led by Pukhraj Gill (66) and Shat Mishra (69), sat in second at 9-under.

Krishna Punjab, supported by Kochhar (67) and Harendra Gupta (69), occupied third place at 8-under.

Sachin Baisoya, who recently ended his title drought in Mauritius, finished eighth at 4-under 68, featuring an eagle on the ninth hole. Seven players tied for ninth at 3-under 69 at the historic Royal Johannesburg Golf Club’s West Course.

The players tied for ninth included locals Allister de Kock and Musiwalo Nethunzwi, alongside Indians Raghav Chugh, Shat Mishra, Harendra Gupta, Ranjit Singh, and left-handed golfer Kartik Sharma.

The top women competitors on Day 1 were Vidhatri Urs and Vani Kapoor, both carding an even par of 72, with two birdies and two bogeys each.

Mane, representing India at the Tokyo Olympics, demonstrated skill on the back nine after a solid 2-under on the front. Following birdies on the fifth and ninth holes, he gained momentum with successive birdies on the 10th and 11th, finishing strong with three additional birdies for a flawless score of 65.

After a slow start to the season with a T-50 finish in Chandigarh, Mane has gained traction, finishing T-3 in Mauritius and now shining in Johannesburg. “The Royal Johannesburg is an incredible course and club. It's a fantastic track to play, and I’m pleased to find my form so early in the season,” Mane remarked.

Manav Shah has also been on a positive trajectory, securing a T-3 finish in Chandigarh and T-11 in Mauritius. He expressed satisfaction with his progress and hopes for continued improvement as the season unfolds.

Shah began on the back nine, scoring three birdies without a bogey. The second nine was thrilling as he added four birdies, an eagle, and two bogeys for a total of 4-under 32.

Soni, who also shone in the first round in Mauritius, started with a bogey but quickly bounced back, making an eagle on the ninth hole. The Hyderabad golfer, recently coached by former Asian Games silver medallist Rahul Bajaj, found his rhythm and made five consecutive birdies from the 11th to the 15th, finishing with another birdie on the 17th.

“I’ve adjusted several aspects, especially my mental approach with Rahul (Bajaj), and it’s reflecting in my results,” Soni noted. After finishing T-25 in Chandigarh, he improved to T-6 in Mauritius, marking his best performance in the AM Green IGPL.

Gill, preparing for the upcoming International Series event in Singapore, started strong with four birdies in his first six holes. After a bogey on the seventh, he eagled the ninth, finishing with a 5-under 31. Although he cooled down on the back nine, his score included birdies on 11 and 18, alongside a bogey on 16.

Bhullar, a leading figure in Indian golf, had a commendable bogey-free round with five birdies, though he missed several opportunities that might have allowed him to catch up with the leaders. He recorded four birdies on his front nine, turning in 4-under 32 but only managed one more on the back.

Kochhar began on the tenth and made an explosive start with four birdies in the first five holes but slowed down afterward. He added one bogey on the second and a closing birdie on the ninth, finishing at 5-under.

Last week’s runner-up, Veer Ganapathy, shot 2-under 70 and ended in T-16 after missing several birdie chances.

The AM Green IGPL South Africa is the second installment in the three-event African Swing.