Jamshedpur, Nov 5 (NationPress) Pukhraj Singh Gill, who has been on the verge of victory multiple times, positioned himself at the forefront with an impressive round of 9-under 63 on the Par-72 Beldih Golf Course during the IGPL Invitational Jamshedpur, hosted by Arjun Munda.

Pukhraj established a significant lead of four strokes over Harendra Gupta, a seasoned player also in pursuit of his first win in the IGPL. Harendra, who has previously triumphed on the domestic Tour, recorded a score of 5-under 67 and secured a tie for second place with Sudhir Sharma (67) and Sachin Baisoya (67).

Yashas Chandra, who bounced back from an early bogey on his opening hole, the third, managed to sink five birdies afterward, finishing at 4-under and claiming the sole fifth position.

Pukhraj’s nine-under score marked the fourth occurrence of such a score, though the previous three by Aman Raj – twice in Jaipur and once in Kolkata – were achieved on par-70 courses.

The leader of the IGPL Order of Merit and winner of the last two events, Aman Raj, shot a 69 and tied for sixth with former Asian Tour champions Chinnaswamy Muniyappa and Chiragh Kumar, both of whom also posted a 69. Ashbeer Saini, IL Aalaap, and Trishul Chinappa were part of a larger group of six players tied for sixth at 69.

Aman Raj, who recently won back-to-back titles in Jaipur and Kolkata, began with a birdie on the first hole, accumulating five birdies overall but also surrendering two bogeys—one on each side of the course—finishing at 3-under 69 and six shots behind the leader.

Pukhraj, who previously finished second to Gaganjeet Bhullar at the IGPL Jaypee Greens and has consistently placed in the Top-10 in Chandigarh, Pune, and Kolkata, commenced his round from the fifth hole during the morning shotgun start.

A long hitter, having also competed on the Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour, Pukhraj began his round with a birdie on the fifth hole, adding two more on the seventh and eighth.

Pukhraj appeared to be on a birdie spree, securing back-to-back gains on the 11th and 12th holes, and again on the 15th and 16th. He finished with a birdie pair on the second and third holes, concluding his round with a par on the fourth, his last hole of the day.

This 9-under 63 represented his best performance this season, and he exited the course radiating satisfaction from his flawless round.

Pukhraj remarked, “I had a bogey-free day. It’s always gratifying when that happens. The course layout suits my style well, and my long drives off the tee were advantageous in certain areas.”

“The birdies seemed to come in bunches, and my approach shots were excellent, along with my putting. There are two more days left, and I’ll strive to maintain my focus,” he added.

Baisoya, who was part of a three-player group in second place, recorded six birdies against one bogey, while both Sudhir Sharma and Harendra Gupta remained bogey-free, with Harendra achieving six birdies against one bogey.

Upcoming talents Kartik Singh (70) and Veer Ganapathy (71) had modest opening rounds, finishing tied for 12th and 17th respectively, alongside Raghav Chugh (71). Both Kartik and Veer have previously come close to winning, having finished second earlier this season.