Manav takes lead in Bangladesh Amateur Open

Dhaka: Defending champion Khalin Joshi seemed a bit out of form but his teammate Manav Das quickly made up with the day`s best card to take sole lead at the end of the first day of the 2012 Bangladesh Open Amateur Championships at the Kurmitola Golf Club.

The experienced Das shot three-under 69 and he was one ahead of Abdus Sobarhan (70), but the latter was not the official entry for Bangladesh A team. Das` fine score helped India take lead in team championships with Joshi adding a 74. India was four ahead of Sri Lanka`s 147, which comprised of N Thangaraja (73) and Vijita Bhandara (74). Bangladesh?s Md Nazim (73) and Dulal Hussain (75) were third at 148. In Individual standings, Das (69) was followed by Sobarhan (70) and there were three golfers Md Rubel, N Thangaraja (Sri Lanka) and Md Nazim (Ban) at 73. Das was in great form on the front nine sinking birdies on first, third, seventh and dropped one bogey on sixth for a 34. On back nine he birdied 14th and 18th and dropped one shot on 16th to finish at 69. Apart from hosts Bangladesh, golfers from Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are participating in the five-day meet. PTI