The standout performer of the opening round was David D’Souza, who put together a 71 to claim the early lead at Kalhaar Blues & Greens as the AVT Champions Tour 2026–27 season made its debut at the venue. His round set the pace for the field as the tour’s second leg got underway in Ahmedabad, continuing the 100th anniversary celebrations of the AV Thomas Group.

Hot on his heels was Rajiv Vasa, who finished as the runner-up on Day one in the Overall Gross category with a score of 74, keeping himself firmly in contention after 18 holes. Harmeet Sahney looms close behind in third place after carding a 75.

Competition across the age categories was equally tight as the field tackled the layout:

Category A (50–54 years):

Rajiv Vasa set the early benchmark in the division by carding a 74 to secure the top spot on Day one. Following closely behind was Harmeet Sahney with a round of 75 to remain right in the mix, while Parthive Sanghrajka claimed the third spot after turning in a 79.

Category B (55–59 years):

Parthiv Mehta produced a solid performance to lead the field after firing a gross score of 77. Mukesh Kumar Panchal finished in second spot with a score of 78, while Ashish Kapoor rounded out the top three for the opening round with a 79.

Category C (60–64 years):

David D’Souza led the charge with his round of 71, establishing a comfortable cushion at the top of the leaderboard. Sandeep Singh Sandhu and Pushpendra Rathore kept up the chase, sharing second position after both carded matching rounds of 78.

Category D (65–69 years):

Pulkeshin Sharma set the pace for the division, executing a clean round of 77 to take the opening-day lead. Viney Singh finished in second for the day after signing for a gross score of 87, with Sanjeev Mehera ending the round in third place with an 89.

Category E (70 Years & Above):

Gangesh Khaitan produced a commendable performance to finish at the top of the senior-most division with an opening round of 81. Vijay Kumar put together a steady round to finish right behind in second with a score of 84, whilst Dhananjay Date signed for an 86 to take third place.

Ladies’ Category:

In the women’s division, Paromita Mukherjee set the pace with a total score of 82, while Neetu Bansal finished the opening day in second position with a 97.

Individual Nett:

The nett divisions saw competitive play across the board as players made the most of their scoring opportunities:

Handicap 0–9:

Pulkeshin Sharma led the field with an impressive nett score of 68. David D’Souza maintained his overall momentum to secure second spot for the day with a nett 70, followed by Harmeet Sahney (72) in third.

Handicap 10–18:

Gurpreet Bakshi delivered a sharp round to lead the category with a nett score of 70. Pramod Modgil finished in second place with a 77, while K Dhananjaya Das (79) took the third place.

The team events were closely fought and added further excitement to the opening round of the tournament.

Team Gross Category:

Home favourites Ahmedabad, consisting of Rajiv Vasa, Parthiv Mehta, Yash Shah, and Amit Shah, surged into the opening-day lead after combining for a total score of 233. Mumbai 1, consisting of Rohit Philip, John Wilcox, Parthive Sanghrajka, and Harmeet Sahney, lurk just two strokes back in second place with a score of 235. Sitting a single stroke further behind in third is Bengaluru 1, consisting of Paromita Mukherjee, Jehangir Tankariwala, Viney Singh, and David D’Souza, with an opening round of 236.

Team Nett Category:

Chandigarh Bandits, consisting of Sandeep Singh Sandhu, Jaspreet Bakshi, Kush Sama, and Gurpreet Bakshi, set the pace on Day one after combining for a leading total score of 223. They hold a tight two-stroke cushion over Pune 1, consisting of Dhananjay Date, Partha Iyengar, Rajinder Razdan, and Pulkeshin Sharma, and Noida 1, consisting of Manav Prakash, Monish Bindra, Kim Sang Gun, and Ashish Kapoor, who share second position after both carding matching team rounds of 225.