India’s Om Prakash Chouhan is fourth in UAE Challenge

 Khel Today Bureau 

Abu Dhabi: Om Prakash Chouhan shot a superb 3-under 69 to be tied fourth after the first round of the UAE Challenge on the European Challenge Tour in Abu Dhabi.

Chouhan, winner of the Duncan Taylor Challenge in India, was two shots behind sole leader, Ivan Cantero Gutierrez of Spain, who finished strongly on the ninth and scored 5-under 67 which had two eagles.

Brandon Stone and Conor Purcell carded 4-under 68 each to be 4-under and tied for second.

Chouhan, 36, a multiple winner on the PGTI Indian Tour, which has an alliance with the DP World Tour, holed five birdies, including a hat-trick from 10^th to 12^th, against two bogeys for his 69.

Chouhan is currently 11^th on the Order of Merit for Challenge Tour, from where the Top-20 go to the DP World Tour. Also the winner of the Indian PGTI Tour OOM also goes to the main Tour.

There were 10 players who were tied fourth at 3-under 69. Also, in this 10-man crowd at tied fourth place were Manuel Elvira, Benjamin Herbert and Daniel Young and five others. Elvira had one of the most eventful rounds with six birdies and an eagle against five bogeys including three in a row from fourth to sixth.