IGPL South Africa: Udayan Mane, Milind Soni & Manav Shah Share Lead After Round One At Johannesburg

Olympian Udayan Mane shared the opening round lead in Johannesburg. He shot a bogey-free 7-under 65 on Tuesday. Mane tied with Hyderabad teen Milind Soni and Manav Shah. The trio led the AM Green IGPL Invitational in South Africa. They stayed one stroke clear at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club.

Six players sat within two shots of the leaders after day one. Last year's AM Green IGPL Rankings winner, Pukhraj Singh Gil,l shot 66. He held sole fourth at 6-under. Gaganjeet Bhullar, Karandeep Kochhar and Saarthak Chhibber carded 67. They shared fifth place on a packed leaderboard.

Scores after round one

The event used the West Course at Royal Johannesburg. Players chased both individual honours and team points. Earlformsrm from Mauritius carried into this week for several Indians. Milind Soni had finished tied sixth there. Sachin Baisoya arrived after breaking his AM Green IGPL title drought.

Team standings led by Green Fuels Hyderabad

In the team event, Green Fuels Hyderabad moved ahead at 14-under. Co-leaders Soni and Shah both contributed 65s. Honer Gurugram ranked second at 9-under. Their scores came from Gill with 66 and Shat Mishra with 69. Krishna Punjab placed third at 8-under through Kochhar and Harendra Gupta.

Manebogey-freeree charge

Mane, who played at the Tokyo Olympics, closed strongly. He turned in 2-under after birdies on the fifth and ninth. Then he birdied the 10th and 11th holes. He added three more birdies over his last four holes. That gave him a flawless 65 and early momentum.

Mane had started his season slowly with a tied 50th in Chandigarh. He improved to tied third in Mauritius last week. That form continued at Royal Johannesburg. "The Royal Johannesburg is such a magnificent course and club. It is also an awesome track to play on," he said.

Shah maintains solid early-season form.

Indian American golfer Shah has enjoyed a steady stretch. He was tied third in Chandigarh and then tied 11th in Mauritius. In Johannesburg,g he began on the back nine. The, re he made three birdies and no bogeys. His front nine featured four birdies, an eagle and two bogeys.

That second nine of 4-under 32 completed his 65. Shah's career includes a win on the Latinomerica Tour. He has been "happy with his progress" this season. He also felt results "could become better as the season moves along." His team gains from this consistent scoring.

New coach helps Soni deliver another low round.

Soni opened with a bogey and then made several pars. He reached the turn with an eagle on the ninth. On the back nine, he caught fire from the 11th. The Hyderabad player made five straight birdies. He added another birdie on the 17th for 65.

Soni recently started working with coach Rahul Bajaj. Bajaj is a former Asian Games team silver medallist. "I have changed a few things, most notably my mental approach under Rahul (Bajaj) Si,r and the results are showing," Soni said. He was tied 25th in Chandigarh and tied sixth in Mauritius.

Gill, Bhullar and Kochhar close behind

Gill, due to play the International Series Singapore next week, began fast. He made four birdies in his first six holes. A bogey on seven followed. He then eagled the ninth for a 5-under 31. On the back nine,ne he added birdies on 11 and 18 with one bogey.

Bhullar, an 11-time Asian Tour winner, also impressed. He carded a bogey-free 67 with five birdies. Four birdies came on his front nine for 4-under 32. He added one more birdie coming home, but missed further chances. Kochhar shot 67 after a fast start from the tenth.

Kochhar birdied four of his first five holes. He picked another birdie on the 18th to turn 5-under. On his second nine, he dropped one shot on the second. A closing birdie on the ninth took him to 5-under. He helped lift Krishna Punjab in the team standings.

Other Indian scores and leading women

Baisoya, who ended his AM Green IGPL title drought in Mauritius, shot 68. His round included an eagle on the ninth. He stood alone in eighth at 4-under. Seven players tied ninth at 3-under 69. That group included five Indians and two South Africans.

The Indians at 69 were Raghav Chugh, Mishra, Gupta, Ranjit Singh and Kartik Sharma. Local players Allister de Kock and Musiwalo Nethunzwi also shot 69. Among women, Vidhatri Urs and Vani Kapoor led after round one. Both recorded an even par 72 with two birdies and two bogeys. They stayed well placed.

Event context and tour outline

Last week's runner-up, Veer Ganapathy, opened with 2-under 70. He tied 16th after missing several birdie chances. The AM Green IGPL South Africa formed the second leg. It is part of a three-event African Swing. Players carried ranking hopes into this Royal Johannesburg stop.

The AM Green Indian Golf Premier League runs as a professional tour. It is described as India's first tour featuring men and women together. Cricket legend Yuvraj Singh is the co-founder and brand ambassador. The tour has approval from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It partners with the IGU, WGAI and holds Asian Tour backing.