PGTI NexGen 2025: Rookie Tushar Pannu sets bar at five-under on Day One in Ludhiana

IANS June 18, 2025 329 views

Rookie Tushar Pannu dominated Day One of the PGTI NexGen event in Ludhiana with a five-under 31, fueled by an eagle and three birdies. Gurugram’s Kushal Singh sits one stroke behind after a bogey-free four-under 32. Heavy rain forced the first round to be shortened to nine holes, adjusting the par to 36. The tournament marks the PGTI’s first-ever professional event in Ludhiana, featuring a ₹20 lakh prize purse.

"The putter was on fire as I sank a lot of long putts." – Tushar Pannu
Ludhiana, June 17: Rookie Tushar Pannu of Karnal set the bar at five-under 31 on the first day of the fifth event of the PGTI NexGen season being played at The Imperial Golf Estate in Ludhiana. The 21-year-old Pannu enjoyed a one-shot lead.

Key Points

1

Tushar Pannu leads with error-free five-under 31

2

Kushal Singh trails by one shot at four-under

3

Rain shortens opening round to nine holes

4

Event marks PGTI’s debut in Ludhiana

Kushal Singh of Gurugram returned a four-under 32 to be placed second after round one.

The Imperial Golf Estate is a par-72 nine-hole course where the nine holes are played twice to comprise a round. However, due to a rain delay on Tuesday, the first round of the tournament comprised only nine holes instead of 18, with the par for the course being 36.

Tushar Pannu’s hot putter ensured he led the field on the opening day with an error-free round. Tushar drained an eagle on the sixth hole along with three birdies on Tuesday, all coming as a result of conversions from a range of 12 to 15 feet. He also made a great par-save on the fourth after an erratic tee shot.

Tushar said, “When you play just nine holes, the effort is to play steady and stay under par. I was looking at two-under today, so I’m thrilled that I exceeded my expectations. The putter was on fire as I sank a lot of long putts.

“I’ve had a decent start to my professional career this year with a few top-20s under my belt on the PGTI’s main tour. That has given me a lot of confidence coming into this NexGen event.”

Kushal Singh too shot a bogey-free round as he was close to the heels of the leader at 32. Karnal’s Rohit Narwal, Panchkula-based Abhishek Kumar, and Chandigarh’s Vasu Sehgal were tied for third place at three-under 33.

The tournament offers a prize purse of INR 20 lakh and marks the debut of professional golf and the PGTI in Ludhiana, one of Punjab’s major cities.

The event will be played over three rounds (54 holes) with the cut being applied after two rounds (36 holes). The top 36 players and ties will make the cut for the third and final round. The tournament features a field of 72 players and features leading professional golfers from all across India.

Reader Comments

R
Rajesh K.
What a brilliant start by Tushar Pannu! 👏 It's great to see young talent emerging from smaller cities like Karnal. The future of Indian golf looks bright with these NexGen tournaments nurturing new players. Hope he maintains this form!
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Priya M.
The Imperial Golf Estate looks like a fantastic venue! Ludhiana getting its first PGTI event is a big deal for Punjab sports. Though the rain shortened play, the scores show these players mean business. Best of luck to all participants!
A
Amit S.
While Tushar's performance is impressive, I wish PGTI would schedule these events better. Rain delays in June are predictable in North India. Maybe they should consider different timings or locations to avoid weather disruptions.
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Sunita R.
So proud to see Haryana boys leading the pack! Tushar from Karnal and Rohit Narwal showing their skills. Golf is no longer just for metro cities - talent is coming from all over. Jai Haryana! 🇮🇳
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Vikram J.
That eagle on the 6th must have been spectacular! Golf needs more coverage in India. We celebrate cricket so much but other sports deserve attention too. Kudos to PGTI for expanding to new cities like Ludhiana.
N
Neha T.
Interesting format with the 9-hole course played twice. Though today was just 9 holes due to rain, it shows golf can be adaptable. Maybe more compact courses could make the sport accessible to more Indians. Food for thought!

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PGTI NexGen 2025 Tushar Pannu Kushal Singh Imperial Golf Estate Ludhiana golf