Dubai-born Rayhan Thomas (Ind) carded a two-under-par 70, securing a tie for 16th place after the first round of the KGiSL Presents Coimbatore Open on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI). The lead was shared by three players: Shaurya Bhattacharya, Ranjit Singh, and Yashas Chandra, who all posted a six-under 66 despite the challenging humidity at the 72-yard Coimbatore Golf Course. Michele Ortolani of Italy and Milind Soni trailed just one stroke behind the leaders, tying for fourth place. Rayhan, who had recently competed in the International Series England and had to adapt swiftly to the climatic shift upon arriving from England, found the initial day of the tournament to be enjoyable. "My round was fun. I had a bit of everything," he shared with Khaleej Times. "I made a good amount of birdies - five in all. I started well on the first hole but double-bogeyed Hole 11, the 408 yards, par four. I hit my tee shot in the hazard and then three-putted – it was a double whammy!" He felt he managed to bounce back effectively with two birdies and no further bogeys after that setback. Embracing the ups and downs of golf, Rayhan plans to maintain an aggressive approach in the second round, aiming to stay competitive and advance to the weekend. "We can reassess where we are then," he noted. The tournament boasts a prize fund of ₹1 Crore (AED 437,488). The PGTI, sponsored by Tata Steel and established in 2006, is the governing body for professional golf in India. Rayhan is scheduled to tee off at 8.15 pm on Thursday from tee 10. A cut will be made after two rounds, with the top 50 players and ties progressing to the final two rounds.