Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain stole the show with a nine-under 61 in the opening round of the NSL Luxe presents Telangana Golconda Masters 2025, an INR 1 crore event, being played at the Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA). Jamal thus established a one-shot lead.

Chandigarh golfer Akshay Sharma struck an equally impressive eight-under 62 to be placed second.

After heavy rain the previous evening, it turned out to be a rain-free day on Tuesday despite the clouds hovering in the skies.

Jamal Hossain was brilliant with his tee shots and wedges during his flawless round. The five-time winner on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) collected five birdies on the front nine thanks to a bunker chip-in and some accurate wedge shots. Jamal added four more birdies on the back nine, including 12-foot conversions on the last two holes.

The 40-year-old Jamal, who is currently placed 14th on the PGTI Order of Merit with two runner-up finishes to his credit this season, said, “I was just very consistent with my hitting and chipping today.”

Akshay Sharma’s two birdie chip-ins contributed towards his top-notch round of 62. Akshay picked up seven birdies on the back-nine before adding three more birdies and two bogeys on the front-nine. Tapendra Ghai of Gurugram carded a 64 to be placed third.

Last week’s winner, N. Thangaraja of Sri Lanka, returned a 65 to share the fourth spot along with seven others. Hyderabad-based professional Vishesh Sharma fired a 68 to be tied 32nd and the best-placed among the local players in the field.

Delhi-based Arjun Prasad, currently second in the PGTI’s merit list, shot a 69 to be tied 42nd.