NexGen Forest Hill: Umed Kumar makes pro debut in style, jointly leads with Mari Muthu after Rd 1

IANS June 12, 2025 285 views

Umed Kumar made a stellar professional debut, carding a 3-under 61 to share the lead with Mari Muthu at the PGTI NexGen Forest Hill event. His sharp short game and familiarity with the course gave him an edge. Mari Muthu also impressed with precise wedge shots, landing close to the pin multiple times. The tournament marks PGTI's return to Mohali after over a decade.

"I’m delighted to make a good start in my first-ever professional event. This gives me a lot of confidence going ahead." - Umed Kumar
S.A.S. Nagar, June 11 : Tricity-lad Umed Kumar made his professional debut in style as he shot a three-under 61 to jointly lead the opening round along with Bengaluru’s Mari Muthu R. at the fourth event of the PGTI NexGen season being played at the Forest Hill Golf & Country Club in S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab on Wednesday.

Key Points

1

Umed Kumar impresses with short game in pro debut

2

Mari Muthu excels with wedge shots

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Khokan Molla hits hole-in-one

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PGTI returns to Mohali after 11 years

S.A.S. Nagar (Punjab), June 11 (IANS) Tricity-lad Umed Kumar made his professional debut in style as he shot a three-under 61 to jointly lead the opening round along with Bengaluru’s Mari Muthu R. at the fourth event of the PGTI NexGen season being played at the Forest Hill Golf & Country Club in S.A.S. Nagar, Punjab on Wednesday. The Forest Hill Golf & Country Club is a par-64 nine-hole course where the nine holes are played twice to comprise a round.

Umed Kumar, a winner of two amateur titles, including the Eastern India Amateur in 2023, made a dream start to his pro career thanks to his exceptional short game. He sank a couple of birdies from a range of 12 to 15 feet and also chipped in for birdie on the fourth hole.

“I’m delighted to make a good start in my first-ever professional event. This gives me a lot of confidence going ahead. I negotiated the windy conditions well and played some solid golf as I found all fairways and missed just three greens," Umed said.

“I’m quite familiar with this golf course as I have playing rights here, so that is an added advantage for me. I know where to land my approaches and which side I can afford to miss the greens, if at all,” he said.

Mari Muthu, the co-leader, was outstanding with his wedge shots and chipping as he landed it within five feet on four occasions to set up birdies. Kolkata’s Khokan Molla made a hole-in-one on the 18th during his round of 78.

The fourth event of the 2025 Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) NexGen season offers a prize purse of INR 20 lakh and marks the return of men’s professional golf and the PGTI to Mohali after 11 years.

The top 36 players and ties will make the cut for the third and final round. The tournament features a field of 72 players. The PGTI NexGen Order of Merit is currently being led by Rajesh Kumar Gautam of Lucknow, who has season’s earnings of INR 4,29,600.

Reader Comments

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Priya S.
What a fantastic debut by Umed Kumar! 👏 It's great to see young talent from smaller cities making waves in professional golf. The Tricity area is becoming a sports hub - first hockey, now golf. Wishing him all the best for the tournament!
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Rahul K.
Mari Muthu from Bengaluru showing his class again! South Indian golfers have been dominating the circuit lately. Hope this tournament puts Mohali back on the golfing map. 20 lakh purse is decent for a NexGen event.
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Ankit P.
While the performance is impressive, I wish PGTI would focus more on developing full-length courses. A par-64 nine-hole course seems too basic for professional tournaments. Our players need world-class facilities to compete internationally.
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Sunita M.
Khokan Molla's hole-in-one deserves more attention! Even if his overall score wasn't great, that's a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. Golf needs more coverage in India beyond just cricket and badminton.
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Vikram J.
As someone from Mohali, it's heartening to see professional golf return after 11 years. The Forest Hill course may be small but it's well-maintained. Hope this inspires more youngsters in Punjab to take up golf seriously.
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Neha R.
The NexGen tour is doing great work in nurturing new talent. But I wish there was more gender diversity - when will we see women's tournaments getting similar attention and prize money? #EqualPlay

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PGTI NexGen Umed Kumar Mari Muthu Forest Hill Golf Mohali golf tournament