Rohtas, Amandeep in joint lead

Veteran Rohtas Singh and Amandeep Johl rode on their experience to go on top of the leaderboard at the end of the opening day of the Rs 600,000 Sir Padampat Singhania Open, which started at the par-72 Noida Golf Course, on Wednesday.

On a windy day, Rohtas and Johl were tied for the lead at three-under 69, one stroke better than last week's Hero Honda Open West winner SSP Chowrasia and local amateur Rakesh Sharma.

Mukesh Kumar, the runaway Money List leader this season, shot a one-under 71 and was tied for the fifth place along with Ali Sher, Ajay Gupta, Monish Bindra and Vivek Bhandari.

Rohtas Singh, known as 'Guruji' on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour, displayed he was a force to reckon with even at the age of 47. The Sumi Motherson-sponsored Rohtas, who recently missed two cuts in a row in Mumbai, made four birdies and a solitary bogey for his 69. After starting with a chipped-in birdie on the tenth, he made further birdies on 14th, first and eighth holes. His only bogey came on the sixth, where he duffed his chip.

"Golf is a funny game. Even one good shot in a bad round is enough to pull you back to the course. I was very upset on missing the cuts in Mumbai because that was a first in my 30-year-long career. However, I can feel my game coming back," said Rohtas, winner of over 100 titles in a career spanning three decades.

Johl, playing only his second event on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour, had a solid round except for an almost comical bogey on his final hole. Starting from the 10th tee, the SAIL-sponsored golfer made the turn at one-under with birdies on the 14th - where he missed an eagle putt from 12 feet - and 17th and a three-putt bogey on the 16th. On his back nine, Johl made successive birdies on the first and second holes and went to four-under with another on the eighth.

Then came the ninth, his final hole. The Chandigarh golfer hit a great drive and was left with a 135-yard pitching wedge shot from the centre of the fairway.

"As I was on my downswing, the wind just turned. From tailwind, it became headwind all of a sudden and I was left short of the green. The timing of the wind was just perfect and all I could do was laugh," said Johl, who chipped to five feet from there, but missed the putt.

Chowrasia, enjoying superb form with a victory and two top-three finishes in last three events, made three birdies and a solitary three-putt bogey on the 15th hole.

"I played well and am hoping to continue my form this week," said Chowrasia, winner of the event in 2001.

Scores (after 18 holes): 69 _ Rohtas Singh, Amandeep Johl; 70 _ SSP Chowrasia, Rakesh Sharma-A; 71 _ Mukesh Kumar, Vivek Bhandari, Ajay Gupta, Ali Sher, Monish Bindra; 72 _ Gaurav Ghei, Manohar Dike, Minky Barbora, Naman Dawar, R Srinivasan, Shamim Khan, Zai Kipgen; 73 _ Gursimran Sethi, Amritinder Singh, Rahil Gangjee, Randhir Singh Ghotra, Suleman Ali; 74 _ Balbir Verma, Sheeraz Kalra, Vinod Kumar.