Faridabad, February 24 – Aditya Raj Singh Chahal, Vipin Raghuvanshi, and Santosh Kumar were in a joint three-way lead after the first round of the PGTI NexGen 2026, which was played at the Aravalli Golf Club in Faridabad on Tuesday.
The three players shot scores of three-under 69 to hold the joint lead in the opening event of the PGTI NexGen season on Tuesday. The quartet of Ramesh Kumar, Divesh Rana, Lakshya Nagar, and Pranav Kaul were one stroke behind in fourth place.
Aditya Raj Singh Chahal scored one eagle, four birdies, and three bogeys, while Vipin Raghuvanshi scored one eagle, two birdies, and one bogey. Santosh Kumar scored one eagle, three birdies, and two bogeys at the INR 25 lakh event.
The 54-hole event features a field of 72 players. The top 35 players and ties will qualify for the final round on Wednesday.
The NexGen Tour was launched by the PGTI last year with the objective of providing equal playing opportunities to all professional golfers in India and to increase the pool of talent in Indian golf, which in turn increases competition and the overall level of golf. The NexGen also aims to bring professional golf to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India, thus expanding the reach of the sport within the country.
Participants in the 2026 PGTI Qualifying School are eligible to compete on the NexGen Tour in 2026. The winner of this year's NexGen Order of Merit will receive a wildcard entry into the main tour (DP World PGTI) for the 2027 season.
The 2026 NexGen season kicked off with the first event at the Aravalli Golf Club in Faridabad. The field for the season opener will consist of 72 players.
The second event of the season will be the DP World PGTI NexGen Phillaur Open 2026, which will be played from March 3–5 at the Ranjitgarh Golf Club in Phillaur. The next three NexGen events of the season will be held at Lucknow Golf Club (March 10–12), Golden Greens Golf & Country Club, Gurugram (March 17–19), and Patna Golf Club (March 24–26).
The prize purse for each NexGen event has been increased from INR 20 lakh to INR 25 lakh this season.
