Kolkata, February 17 Delhi golfer Shaurya Bhattacharya carded a six-under 64 to take the lead in the first round of the Rs 1.5 crore DP World Players Championship 2026 at the Tollygunge Club here on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old Bhattacharya, fresh off his top-10 finish in Asia last week and playing his first event of the 2026 DP World PGTI season, soared to the top of the leaderboard with two eagles during his first round of six-under 64 on the Par-70 course.
Shaurya Sharma, playing his second season as a professional, scored a 65 to be tied second along with Manish Thakran, a winner on the PGTI NexGen last year.
After starting from the 10th hole, Bhattacharya, a three-time winner on the DP World PGTI, was on a roll over the first five holes where he made two birdies and an eagle on the 13th, the latter coming as a result of a chip-in.
Bhattacharya's bogey on the 16th did not derail his round as he added another eagle on the fourth followed by a birdie on the seventh. He holed his approach shot from 110 yards for an eagle-two on the fourth.
Bhattacharya, who finished third in the DP World PGTI Ranking last season thanks to his two wins, said, "I'm happy that I've been very consistent and I'm making most fairways and greens. My driving has stood out and my misses are also getting narrower.
"I've drawn a lot of positives from my performances last year. The fact that I played well in Malaysia last week added to my confidence. It's great to start the year with a top-10 finish."
The highest-placed among the Kolkata golfers was Mohammad Sanju who carded a 68 to be tied 15th.