Chandigarh, March 11 (NationPress) Shat Mishra, who turned professional in 2025, kicked off his 2026 season with a spectacular 6-under 66 during the opening round of the 2026 IGPL Invitational in Chandigarh.

Mishra, who had a modest performance in 2025, showcased a fiery front nine, although he slowed down a bit on the back nine.

He sank five birdies on the front nine but lost some momentum with drops on the 10th and 11th holes. However, he regained his touch with an impressive eagle on the Par-5 16th, along with birdies on the 13th and 17th.

Mishra is currently two shots ahead of three competitors: Gaganjeet Bhullar, Yashas Chandra, and Kartik Sharma. A large group, including last year's runner-up Aman Raj, experienced player Chiragh Kumar, Indian-American Manav Shah, new IGPL talent Danish Verma, and local player Ranjit Singh, all finished at 3-under 69.

The off-season improvements were evident, with six players tied at 2-under 70.

This group included last year’s IGPL champion Pukhraj Singh Gill, who is recovering from an injury, along with Karandeep Kochhar, Kapil Kumar (the IGPL Pune winner), Syed Saqib Ahmed, young talent Krish Chawla, and the legendary SSP Chawrasia, a six-time Asian Tour winner.

Defending champion Bhullar recorded a bogey-free 4-under 68, tying with Chandra and southpaw Sharma from Gurugram.

Mishra expressed his satisfaction with the round, stating, “The effort I have put in was evident. The front nine was excellent; the putts were falling, but I dropped too many shots on the back nine. A few short misses and a plugged lie contributed to that. Still, the eagle on the 16th was a bright spot. Overall, my game is improving, and I need to maintain consistency,” he remarked.

Bhullar is planning to balance his focus between the International Series, the Asian Tour, and the IGPL. He was pleased with his performance but acknowledged the need for improvement on the putting green. “I need to practice that a bit,” he said with a grin.

Kochhar, who will also participate in the Asian Tour and the IGPL, managed two birdies and avoided bogeys, birdying the Par-5s on the second and 13th holes while parring the rest.

Yashas has been progressively finding his form since late 2025, demonstrating his off-season practice with four birdies in the first five holes. He faced his only setback on the Par-5 seventh, but he recovered with one birdie and eight pars on the back nine.

After an initial birdie on the second, Chawrasia, a two-time Indian Open winner, encountered drops on the third and sixth holes but rebounded with three consecutive birdies from the 12th to the 14th.

“I felt a bit rusty, but I believe I’ve shaken off some of it,” said Chawrasia, who will also have a significant presence on the Asian Tour and the IGPL alongside many from this group.