Ahmedabad, December 2, 2025: Teenaged rookie Veer Ganapathy shrugged off the disappointment of missing the cut last week by taking the sole lead at the IGPL Invitational Ahmedabad with a superb bogey-free round of 8-under 64. He now sits three shots clear of special invitee Santiago de la Fuentes of Mexico.
Veer, son of former India No. 1 and multiple-time professional winner Rahul Ganapathy, showcased the best of what he has learnt from his father with a composed and attacking round. The long-hitting youngster, who has been in contention multiple times this season, carded six birdies and an eagle at Glade One Resort.
Ganapathy had missed the cut at the Bharath Classic, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the IGPL. Instead of dwelling on it, he worked on specific areas of his game while others played on.
“I knew I had the game, but somehow it didn’t come together at Kensville. This week I was determined, and today everything clicked. I hope to continue in the same rhythm,” said the youngster, who is coached by his father.
Veer birdied the second, sixth, and eighth holes before producing an eagle two on the par-4 ninth to turn in 5-under 31. On the back nine he added birdies on the 11th, 13th, and 14th. He parred the last four holes, missing a couple of scoring chances but also pulling off key saves. “Overall, a happy day,” he added.
Santiago, winner of the 2024 Latin America Amateur Championship that earned him spots in three Majors — the Masters, the US Open, and The Open — showed why he is regarded as a rising global talent. The 24-year-old Houston-educated golfer started with four straight birdies and added two more on the back nine against a lone bogey to sign for a 67 and sit in second place.
Sachin Baisoya, who lit up Kensville with a 10-under final round last week, was 6-under coming to the 18th but double-bogeyed to finish 4-under. He is tied third with Harshjeet Singh Sethie — who has recently shown glimpses of his potential — and Mysuru golfer Yashas Chandra, who posted five birdies and a bogey.
Indian golfing legend SSP Chawrasia also impressed, finishing tied fifth at 3-under alongside IGPL Pune winner Kapil Kumar.
Kartik Singh, Filipino invitee Justin Quiban, Indian-American Manav Shah, and Asian Development Tour winner Karandeep Kochhar were tied eighth at 2-under. Aalaap IL and Raghav Chugh also joined the group with matching rounds of 70.
Gaganjeet Bhullar, returning to IGPL action after a family break, made the shot of the day with a hole-in-one on the par-3 12th. Despite three front-nine bogeys, his ace and two birdies helped him card 1-under and finish tied 14th with IGPL Jamshedpur winner Pukhraj Singh Gill.
Also tied 14th was Ridhima Dilawari, who finished as the top woman golfer on Day One with a steady 1-under 71. Only 16 players managed to finish under par on the opening day.
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