HSBC India Legends Championship: Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa T3 on Day 1, Joakim Haeggman at Top of Leaderboard

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Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa had strong showings at the HSBC India Legends Championship on August 30 in Greater Noida. Both golfers are currently tied for third place after the first day at Jaypee Greens Golf Course, making them the top-performing Indians in the tournament.

Brazil's Adilson Da Silva joined Singh and Randhawa at 4 under par 68, trailing by three strokes behind Joakim Haeggman, who shot an impressive 7 under 65, thanks to eight birdies and just one bogey.

The HSBC India Legends Championship, which boasts a prize pool of $500,000, is co-sanctioned by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).

Earlier in the day, Clark Dennis from the United States led the field but was surpassed by Haeggman after setting a clubhouse score of 5 under 67. Dennis played alongside Randhawa (68) and South African golfer Keith Horne (72), who is currently ranked ninth on the Legends Tour Order of Merit.

Randhawa had a rocky start, dropping three shots against a single birdie on the front nine. However, he turned things around on the back nine with an impressive run of birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie, gaining six strokes in just five holes.

Reflecting on his performance, Randhawa said, "I didn't start well at all. My putting was off in the first nine holes, but things clicked for me on the back nine, and I started sinking putts. The eagle on the second hole really got me going, and I birdied the first hole as well, which kept my momentum up. By the seventh hole, I figured out my putting stroke, and I stuck with it, which made a big difference."

Jeev Milkha Singh commented on his performance, saying, "My golf game has been in a good place these past few weeks. My short game has been a bit of a struggle, but it was better today. I've been working hard, and it's paying off. I managed to make five birdies and had just one bogey.

"The bogey was unfortunate as I was on the edge of the green, only 10 feet from the hole, but that's golf. I had several birdie chances that I didn't convert, but I'm satisfied with my round today. Tomorrow's another day, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the tournament."

Jeev played a steady front nine, gaining two strokes without any errors. The back nine saw more action, with three birdies and one bogey bringing his total to 4 under for the day.

Amandeep Johl, a PGTI board member and full-time tour player, was the next best Indian, finishing at 1 over par 73, placing him in 19th. Johl carded two birdies and three bogeys. Meanwhile, Mukesh Kumar, another experienced player, ended his round at 2 over 74, tying for 29th. Other Indian players like Harmeet Kahlon, Sanjay Kumar, Vijay Kumar, Vishal Singh, and Digvijay Singh were further down the leaderboard.