In Port Louis, Mauritius, 18-year-old Veer Ganapathy, who turned 18 just over two weeks ago on March 25, achieved two birdies on the last three holes to card a 5-under 67 and take the top spot in the first round of the AM Green IGPL Invitational 2026, hosted by Leander Paes.
As the day drew to a close, Sachin Baisoya, who had consistently performed well in 2025 with multiple top-3 finishes but no wins, made a strong finish after a relatively calm start. He ended with three birdies in a bogey-free round of 67, joining Ganapathy in a shared lead. Baisoya also helped his team, Phoenix Hyderabad, take the lead in the team competition.
Amandeep Drall (69), Milind Soni (69), and Ridhima Dilawari (69) were tied for third place. Amandeep Drall, a former runner-up at the Hero Women's Indian Open on the Ladies European Tour, and Ridhima are trying to emulate Pranavi Urs, who last year became the first woman to win an AM Green IGPL event. Pranavi won the Mumbai event last year.
Olympian Udayan Mane and experienced Shiv Kapur were tied sixth with rounds of 2-under 70 each, while Aryan Roopa Anand, Varun Chopra, rookie Sukhman Singh, and Yashas Chandra were tied eighth with scores of 71 each.
Among the prominent names, Pukhraj Singh Gill (72), the top performer in the 2025 AM Green IGPL Order of Merit, was T-12, while Gaganjeet Bhullar, winner of the AM Green IGPL Invitational 2026 Chandigarh 2026, Karandeep Kochhar, SSP Chawrasia, and Aman Raj with 1-over 71 each were T-15.
In team standings, Phoenix Hyderabad, led by co-leader Sachin Baisoya (5-under 67) and Raghav Chugh (even par 72), were in the lead with a total of 5-under, while RVR Delhi, with Shiv Kapur (2-under 70) and Aryan Roopa Anand (1-under 71), were second at 3-under. Green Fuels Vizag, with Milind Soni (3-under 69) and M Dharma (1-over 73), were third with a total of 2-under. The two best scores from each of the four member teams count towards the competition.
Veer, who was adjudged the ‘Young Turk’ – the best Emerging Player – in the inaugural season last year, had a great start at the Par-72 Anahita Golf Course with seven birdies against one early double bogey. Veer is part of the GolfKonnekt Team from his hometown, Bangalore.
In the late afternoon, Baisoya put on a spectacular performance, achieving three consecutive birdies on the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes.
The players all praised the beautiful course, which has previously hosted European Tour events, but also noted that the course was challenging, with the wind adding to the difficulty.
Veer, a left-handed golfer, who is coached by his father Rahul Ganapathy, said, "The course is great, but challenging, with winds at 15-20 km per hour. However, after that initial pressure when I hit an OB and dropped a double bogey, I played very well, and my putting was key today."
Coached by his father, Rahul Ganapathy, a former Indian Tour professional, Veer finished second in two separate events during the 2025 AM Green IGPL season. He was second at the AM Green IGPL Kolkata and AM Green IGPL Dubai, and is now well-positioned to win his first event. "I have worked hard during the off-season, focusing on physical fitness and yoga, and also spent a lot of time on the range. It seems to be paying off today."
Veer recovered from his double bogey with three consecutive birdies starting from the fourth hole, and added another on the ninth, finishing the front nine at 2-under. On the back nine, he birdied the 14th and then achieved back-to-back gains on the 16th and 17th. His only mistake of the day was a double on the Par-4 sixth, which was the toughest hole on the course.
Milind, 20, who was selected by the Green Fuels team at the auction, said that the first season of the AM Green IGPL last year was a valuable learning experience. He also started training with Rahul Bajaj, a former Asian Games team silver medallist, late last year.
He said, "Rahul sir has been very helpful. I am making fewer errors, and he has helped me regain my swing. He has also been working on my mental game, and that is showing, and we are also working on course management."
Talking about his first round, Milind added, "It was absolutely amazing, and I enjoyed playing at the Anahita course. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of the AM Green IGPL tour. The tournaments are being held at some really great venues."
Amandeep bogeyed the fifth but made no further errors as she achieved a birdie on the seventh, finishing the front nine at even par. On the back nine, she achieved an eagle on the Par-5 13th and closed with a birdie on the Par-5 18th, resulting in a 3-under total.
Milind Soni started with a bogey but achieved a birdie on the sixth and seventh. However, bogeys on the eighth and ninth wiped out those gains, and he finished the front nine at 1-over. On the back nine, he was steady and achieved an eagle on the Par-5 13th and a birdie on the 14th.
In the late afternoon, Dilawari (69) closed with two consecutive birdies in a round that had four birdies against one solitary bogey, joining the group in third place. The tournament is the second in the AM Green IGPL season, which will have 15 events, ten of which will be in India and five outside India.