Korea’s Heemin Chang fired an impressive eight-under 64 to lead day one of the Bharath Classic 2025 at Kensville Golf Resort, despite seeing the course for the first time after arriving late. He sits ahead of India’s Pukhraj Singh Gill, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and Poosit Supupramai, and fellow Korean Wooyoung Cho, all on 66. A large group—including Ajeetesh Sandhu, Udayan Mane, Chan Shih-chang, Sean Ramos and recent Taifong Open winner Ekpharit Wu—are tied for sixth on 67.
The US$500,000 inaugural event is joint-sanctioned with the new Indian Golf Premier League Tour and serves as the penultimate stop of the Asian Tour season, with players battling for crucial Order of Merit positions. Chang, currently 127th, said he adapted quickly to the slower greens and built confidence from his recent top-six finish in Taiwan. His back nine surge featured an eagle on 15 and birdies on 16 and 18.
Gill carried momentum from his maiden IGPL victory two weeks ago and believes familiarity with Kensville helped his strong opening round. Cho, part of Korea’s 2023 Asian Games gold-medal team, is chasing a top-65 finish to retain his card after a year troubled by putting issues. A recent switch of putter has restored some confidence.
Chan Shih-chang, a five-time Asian Tour winner, is also fighting to keep his playing rights after a season hampered by a shoulder injury. Now close to full recovery, he hopes to finish strongly this week and at the upcoming Saudi Open, stressing the importance of staying calm, finding fairways and focusing on rhythm.
