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Poona Club Open: Mohd Azhar's 7-Under 64 Grabs First-Round Lead

Mohd Azhar delivered an impressive seven-under 64 to take the first-round lead at the Poona Club Open. The Hyderabad golfer started strong despite an early bogey, making seven birdies throughout his round. Yuvraj Sandhu, the current PGTI Order of Merit leader, sits just one shot back after carding a 65. The tournament features a competitive field with several top players in close contention after the opening day.

Key Points: Mohd Azhar Leads Poona Club Open 2025 With 7-Under 64

  • Azhar overcame early bogey with seven birdies for 64
  • PGTI Order of Merit leader Yuvraj Sandhu sits second with 65
  • Veer Ahlawat, 2024 ranking champion, trails by two shots
  • Five Pune-based players tied at 29th with scores of 71
2 min read

Poona Club Open 2025: Mohd Azhar shoots 7-under 64 for first-round lead

Mohd Azhar shoots 64 for first-round lead at Poona Club Open. Yuvraj Sandhu and Veer Ahlawat trail closely in competitive PGTI tournament field.

"I hit it close to the flags all day. Here at the Poona Club Golf Course, there is a premium on hitting fairways and I hit a lot of fairways today. - Mohd Azhar"

Pune, October 29

Mohd Azhar of Hyderabad shot a top-notch seven-under 64 on day one to emerge the leader by one shot at The Poona Club Open being played at the Poona Club Golf Course in Pune.

PGTI Order of Merit leader Yuvraj Sandhu fired a six-under 65 to be placed second. Gurugram's Veer Ahlawat (66), the 2024 PGTI Ranking champion, was a further shot behind in third position.

The quintet of Akshay Damale, Aaron Rockey, Aditya Bhandarkar, Adityaa Garg and amateur Arkin Patel were the highest-placed among the Pune-based players as they returned scores of 71 to occupy tied 29th place.

Mohd Azhar, who has been in decent form in recent times with four top-10s to his name in his last six starts, began his week with a birdie-bogey on the first two holes. However, he soon began to stamp his authority by adding three more birdies on the front nine, including a 35-feet conversion on the third.

Azhar, currently ranked 23rd in the PGTI Order of Merit, picked up four more birdies on the back nine, including a tap-in and an 18-feet conversion.

Azhar said, "I hit it close to the flags all day. Here at the Poona Club Golf Course, there is a premium on hitting fairways and I hit a lot of fairways today. On the back-nine, my chipping and putting was outstanding because I did not hit any greens from hole 14 onwards and just made a lot of quality chip-putts. This season has been much better than the last one for me and I'm looking to make big strides in the remaining tournaments this year."

Yuvraj Sandhu produced eight birdies and two bogeys to be placed second, while Veer Ahlawat came up with six birdies and a bogey to end the day in third position.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Great to see Indian golf talent shining! Yuvraj Sandhu at 65 and Veer Ahlawat at 66 - the competition is really heating up. Pune's golf course seems to be bringing out the best in these players. Exciting tournament ahead!
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Sarah B
Impressive performance by Azhar, but I wish there was more coverage of the local Pune players. Akshay Damale and the others at tied 29th deserve more attention too. Good to see amateur Arkin Patel holding his own among professionals.
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Rohit P
Azhar's back-nine performance was pure class! Not hitting greens from hole 14 onwards but still making birdies through quality chip-putts shows incredible mental strength. That's the kind of golf that wins tournaments. 💪
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Vikram M
The Poona Club course is really testing the players' accuracy. As Azhar mentioned, hitting fairways is crucial here. Great to see our Indian golfers adapting so well to different course conditions. Makes me proud to follow Indian golf! 🇮🇳
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Michael C
While Azhar's round was impressive, I feel the coverage could provide more detailed statistics - fairways hit percentage, greens in regulation, putting averages. This would help casual fans understand the game better and appreciate the skill level involved.

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