Chandigarh, Nov 11 (UNI) Gagan Verma shot two under par 70 to move to the top of the leaderboard after the first round at the LG Samarvir Sahi Amateur Golf here today.
Gagan had a steady front nine, making the turn with nine straight pars.
He dropped a shot on the 10th but got his game together to string three birdies on the back nine with the third coming on the closing hole to ensure that he finished under par for the round.
He has opened up a two stroke lead over the chasing pack which includes Kanishk Madan, Tarun Ghogale and Rashid Khan.
HS Kang, the defending champion, shot a two over par 74 but is still in contention with three more rounds left to be played.
As many as ten players were within four shots of the lead.
The greens were playing really fast and most of the players seemed to be struggling on the greens. Moin Malak, who recently won the title of the 'Best Amateur' at the Indian Open had a tough outing, carding a round of ten over par and in danger of missing the cut.
UNI XC HSB RAR NS2009