Hossain steals the show with a nine-under 61 at Telangana Golconda Masters

Hyderabad, Sep 23 (PTI) Bangladesh's Jamal Hossain stole the show with a nine-under 61 in the opening round of the Telangana Golconda Masters, taking a one-shot lead.

Chandigarh golfer Akshay Sharma struck an equally impressive eight-under 62 to be placed second.

After heavy rain the previous evening, it turned out to be a rain-free day on Tuesday despite the clouds hovering over the course.

The overcast conditions also brought relief to the golfers as the temperature dropped to around 25 degrees celsius making it much cooler than the previous day.

Hossain was brilliant with his tee shots and wedges during his flawless round.

The five-time winner on the PGTI collected five birdies on the front-nine thanks to a bunker chip-in and some accurate wedge shots.

Jamal added four more birdies on the back-nine including 12-feet conversions on the last two holes.

The 40-year-old Jamal, who is currently placed 14th on the PGTI Order of Merit with two runner-up finishes to his credit this season, said, "I was just very consistent with my hitting and chipping today. I’ve been playing really well in recent weeks but I’ve not been able to put together four solid rounds.

"That’s what I’ll look to do from here on. The course is in fantastic condition despite the heavy rains recently." Akshay's two birdie chip-ins contributed towards his top-notch round of 62. Akshay picked up seven birdies on the back-nine before adding three more birdies and two bogeys on the front-nine.

Tapendra Ghai of Gurugram carded a 64 to be placed third.

Last week’s winner N Thangaraja of Sri Lanka returned a 65 to share the fourth spot along with seven others.

Hyderabad-based professional Vishesh Sharma fired a 68 to be tied 32nd and the best-placed among the local players in the field. Delhi-based Arjun Prasad, currently second in the PGTI’s merit list, shot a 69 to be tied 42nd. PTI AT AT UNG