New Raipur: Akshay Sharma shot a phenomenal nine-under 60 to take the first-round lead at the INR 1.5 crore SECL Chhattisgarh Open 2026, the season opener of the DP World PGTI.
Akshay Sharma took an early lead and posted the lowest score ever in a single round at Fairway Golf & Lake Resort in Naya Raipur. Akshay, who had a near-perfect round and narrowly missed a hole-in-one twice, equaled the record for the lowest score at the venue set by Khalin Joshi last year.
Two-time DP World PGTI winner Akshay from Chandigarh had a bogey-free attempt on the first day, scoring five birdies on the front nine and four on the back nine. He sank two 15-footers for birdies.
Akshay said: “It was a dream round, one of those days where every aspect of my game was top notch – driving, iron play and putting. I only missed three regulation greens today and missed two holes-in-ones by a foot – on second and 17th. I had a good run of form towards the end of last year with a couple of top-10 finishes. I feel like I’m building on that form now. I had a good outing in last year too Naya Raipur a top 10 result so I know this course quite well.”
16-year-old Kartik Singh, who finished in a tie for seventh place at the PGTI Qualifying School last week and was making his DP World PGTI debut, posted an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey on the first day to finish tied for second place.
Kartik, former Indian No. 1 junior and amateur, said: “I feel great that I started so well in my very first event at the PGTI. After a bogey on the first hole, I came back well. My mindset every day is to shoot a good round and play as well as I can. I made a lot of long putts today and chipped once. It’s definitely very competitive here at the DP World PGTI and I feel like I’ve got my best shot We have to continue to improve our game in order to be able to keep up here.”
Earlier in the day, Honorable Finance Minister of Chhattisgarh Shri OP Choudhary conducted the tee-off ceremony at 8:30 am. After the ceremonial tee-off, Shri OP Choudhary met some participating top professional golfers and also interacted with media representatives.
Shri OP Choudhary said, “Events like the SECL Chhattisgarh Open go a long way in building a positive image for Chhattisgarh and changing the perception of the state. Our focus has been on developing the Nava Raipur Greenfield Capital City and along with it, promoting sports in the state. We expect many new sports facilities and academies to come up in Chhattisgarh. Development of sports in the state has many benefits as it creates jobs, inspires young sportspersons, establishes the state as a hub for… sporting activities and important tourist destination. This in turn attracts investment which leads to economic growth and revenue. Economic growth in the state can then drive welfare and social systems for the masses.
“We look forward to welcoming our national sports icon Shri Kapil Dev, President of PGTI, on the final day of the tournament. We thank him for being one of the driving forces behind this event. His support and encouragement will be key in making this tournament bigger and better and promote sports in Chhattisgarh.”
