Ram Pal has the first lap lead in the final qualifying phase

Veteran Chandigarh golfer Ram Pal led the field after the first round of the PGTI’s 2026 Q School Final Stage at the Kensville Course near Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Image courtesy of PGTI.

By Rahul Banerji

Chandigarh’s Ram Pal held the lead after the first round of PGTI’s final phase of Qualifying School 2026 at the Kensville Golf & Country Club near Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

The 46-year-old scored a 4-under-par 68 to lead a field of 131 players bidding for 47 spots, guaranteeing them playing rights for the entire year, the PGTI said.

Six golfers were tied for second place at 2-under 70, including Jhared Hack of the US, along with Dhruv Suri, Jujhar Singh, Joysurjo Dey, Manav Bais and amateur Pritish Singh Karayat.

Teenager Kartik Singh was eighth on 71, while Shubham Jaglan was a shot back at shared 12^e.

Ram Pal put together an eagle, four birdies and two bogeys in his opening round, holing out from 90 yards for his eagle on the sixth hole.

He sank a pair of birdie putts from between 15 and 25 feet and also left two short birdie putts with some flawless approach shots.

Full recovery

“Last year I couldn’t play events because of an injury,” Ram Pal said later.

“I have now fully recovered and my performance at the pre-qualifying event here in Kensville gave me a lot of confidence.

“I got off to a bad start in the Pre-Q, but came back strong in the second round with a solid 72 to reach the final stage.

“Today I felt like I had planned my lap very well. My driving and putting were also top class. It’s a great start to the final stage and I will try to take advantage of that.”

The top 80 players (plus ties) will qualify after the second round of Final Qualifying. At the end of round four, the top 47 will earn their full tickets for the 2026 PGTI season.

Also read: American golfer Hack tops Pre-Q III as 26 complete Final Stage field

Related