Chikka, Aman Raj T-37th at Maekyung Open

India's Chikkarangappa S had three bogeys in a seven-hole stretch as he shot one-over 72 in the first round of the GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship here on Thursday. Aman Raj (72) was Tied-37th alongside Chikka while Aadil Bedi (76) was lying at Tied-109th.

Local hopefuls Taehee Lee and Kyeongjun Lee shared the opening round lead with Gowoong Choi and Sungho Lee after they carded four-under-par 67s. The quartet holds a slender one-shot advantage over Yoseop Seo, who returned with a bogey-free round to ensure a strong local presence atop the leaderboard where 18 of the top-24 players are Koreans.

Jongduck Kim, a former winner of the Maekyung Open in 1994, was among the six players bunched in sixth place on 69s. The 57-year-old Korean is a nine-time winner on the local circuit and a four-time champion on the Japan Golf Tour. Defending champion Sanghyun Park returned with a 72 to trail by five shots in tied-37th position in the USD $1,067,000 event (approx), which is celebrating its 38th edition this week.