Golf

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Thailand's Chinnarat Phadungsil shoots 61 to lead Avantha Masters by 5 strokes after 1st round

By: The Associated Press

Posted: 03/14/2013 3:40 PM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 03/14/2013 8:27 PM

GREATER NOIDA, India - Chinnarat Phadungsil of Thailand holed eight birdies on the back nine Thursday to shoot an 11-under 61 for a five-stroke lead in the first round of the Avantha Masters.

He missed a 30-foot putt on the 17th that would have made it nine consecutive birdies for the 2005 world junior champion. Chinnarat is the youngest winner on the Asian Tour after capturing the Double A International tournament in 2005 at 17 years, 5 days.

He was followed by a group of five at 6 under, including compatriots Chapchai Nirat and Chawalit Plaphol.

Colin Montgomerie (76) is tied for 148th, while local favourite Jeev Milkha Singh (69) has a share of 30th place.

"I played very smooth on the back nine and did not worry about my scores," said Chinnarat, a three-time winner on the Asian Tour. "The birdie putt on the 17th was a difficult one, but I'm very happy with my score because my previous best at any level has been 9 under."

"I'd changed my swing but that was not working for me over the last two years. I went back to my old swing and I feel that is working fine for me."

A surprise performer was the unheralded Abhijit Singh Chadha in joint second place. The 21-year-old Indian had four birdies on the outward nine and two on the back.

"The putter was hot today and I holed almost everything," Chadha said. "I made a 40-footer for birdie on the 16th and converted two 25-feet birdie putts on the sixth and ninth."

Thai player Thongchoi Jaidee, who is looking to crack the top 50 with a victory that would give him a third entry to the Masters next month, was tied for 45th after hitting a 70.

Defending champion Joe Kruger of South Africa hit a 72.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Golf

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.