The AVT Champions Tour’s new season teed off in Bengaluru. The Karnataka Golf Association hosted this prestigious event, which drew over 110 senior golfers from across the country, marking a promising start to the season.

Leading Day 1 is Sandeep Singh Sandhu, the reigning Champion Senior Golfer of the 2023-24 season. Sandhu posted an impressive score of one over par. Following him are David D’Souza and Ankur Prakash, both tied at four over par.

In the Individual Gross categories, competition has been fierce across various age brackets. In the Category A (50-54+), Parthive Sanghrajka and Ashish Kapoor share the lead, each with scores of five over par. Sandeep Singh Sandhu, leading overall, also tops his Category B (55-59+). In Category C (60-64+), Jehangir Tankariwala leads with a score of five over par and the Category D (65 to 69+) is led by Ashwani Khanna with a score of 80. The Category E (70+) leader after Day 1 was Harvinder Singh Dhillon with a score of 82. In the Ladies Gross category, Nalini Singh has edged ahead, holding a one-shot lead over Anita Shrishriimal, who scored 88.

The Individual Nett categories saw tight competition as well. In the Category Individual Nett (0 to 9 Handicap), Rajeev Sarda leads with a score of 69, closely followed by Venkatesh Sundaravadhanam and Ashwani Khanna, both at 71. In the Category Individual Nett (10 to 18 Handicap), Dhananjay Das posted the lowest nett score of the day at 68, with Utpal Desai just one shot behind at 69.

The team competitions added to the day’s excitement. In the Team Gross category, The team of David D’Souza, Sanjai Singh, Sumit Rathor, and Jehangir Tankariwala holds a narrow two-shot lead over the team comprising Sandeep Sandhu, Jaspreet Bakshi, Kuldip Sandhu, and Kush Sama. While in the Team Nett Category, The team of Arun Murugappan, K Dhananjay Das, Pramod Modgil, and Siddharth Lulla enjoys a three-shot lead over the next closest team.

The Day 1 was filled with great performances, all enhanced by the excellent weather and course conditions. The successful kickoff in Bengaluru sets a high standard for the rest of the season, promising more exciting golf ahead. Apart from the main tour Sponsor AVT Thomas Group, this event in KGA is sponsored by BMW Deutsche Motoren, Atrimed Plant Science, Litemed, and HDFC Bank. Titleist is the Equipment Partner of the tour. SING (Senior Indian National Golf) is the official tour managing association, and the event is being managed by Protouch Sports.