Varun Muthappa found the course very challenging, but he managed to finish on top of the pack at the end of the first day of the IGU Synthite-CIAL South Zone Golf Tour championship at the CIAL Golf Club, Nedumbassery, on Saturday.
The 18-year-old from Bengaluru finished the 18-hole course with a three-over-par (75) and behind him was Mangalore’s Jason Salins (80) in the men’s section. The two-day event concludes on Sunday.
“I think this is the most physically demanding course, even though in Chennai it was very hot, it wasn’t like this,” said Muthappa.
“Here, the grass is a bit thicker so it’s a bit difficult to walk, it’s humid and very hot. And the back nine is probably one of the toughest stretches I’ve played in a long time.”
The results (day one, top three only):
Amateur men: 1. Varun Muthappa (75), 2. Jason Salins (80), 3. Prithviraj Sridhar (84).
Boys: A: 1. Pavan Paruthi (85), 2. Tanmay Bafna & Syed Shayaan Khadri (both 88).
B: 1. Vansh Tyagi (80), 2. Amaey Rajesh Nair (85), 3. Fatehbir Singh (85).
C: 1. Vivaan Ubhayakar (79), 2. Ved Sai Machiraju (82), 3. Nilofer Shivamurthy (85).
D: 1. Adit Veeramachaneni (88), 2. Dhruv Kessireddy (97), 3. Roaan Sandeep Karippil (132).
E (nine holes): 1. Ryan Advik (40), 2 Vivaan Singh (46), 3. Vishwadev Vivek (58).
Girls: A: 1. Aaliyah Laiza Achary (81), 2. Usikala Akhila (93), 3. Garlapati Naveena (3).
B: 1. Gugulothu Amulya (85), 2. Mala Anusha (89), 3. Kavali Haritharani (98).
C: 1. B. Krishna (105).
D: 1. Tanvi Kaur (76), 2. K.S. Arpitha Shaji (112), 3. Vedasri R. Pillai (127).
E (nine holes): 1. Vedika Bhansali (39), 2. Samaira Handa (48), 3. Juno Kalyani (49).
