Chiragh continues to call the shots
Golf Indian Open: Impressive Indian extends lead with 67
Chiragh Kumar continued his love affair with the greens, bringing home a stunning five-under 67 in the second round to lead by three-strokes at the half-way stage of the $1.25 million Hero Indian Open at the Delhi Golf Club here on Friday.
The par-5 holes served Chiragh well as he birdied all four of them besides picking up three more strokes against a couple of bogeys to take his two-day total to 13-under 131 on a day when big names like Jyoti Randhawa, Ashok Kumar and Shiv Kapur missed the cut, which was decided at one-over.
David Gleeson of Australia blasted a brilliant 66 to follow up his opening round of 68 to total 134 and lie at second position. Two strokes behind is Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat who carded a 67 for an aggregate of eight-under 136.
One-stroke behind was the trio of Ross Bain (72), Scott Barr (70) and Young Nam (68) with a total of seven-under 137.
Three-time winner Jyoti Randhawa (75), Ashok Kumar (77), Shiv Kapur (75) and Rashid Khan (73) along with many other Indians, including leading amateur S Chikkara-ngappa who had impressed on day one, missed the cut here.
A 2006 Asian Games team silver medallist, Chiragh had a good start, hitting birdies at 11th and 12th holes but a bogey at the next pulled him back a bit. He then hit a birdie-bogey patch at the 14th and 15th before making the turn at two-under with a birdie at the 18th hole.
On the back nine, the Delhi golfer picked up birdies at the first, seventh and eighth to round off another satisfying day at the Delhi Golf Club here.
“I really wasn’t expecting much today. I just stuck to the similar strategies and it did for me again today. Good thing is that I started off well and got the momentum going, held on to the greens and putted well,” said Chiragh, who finished third at the Haryana Open to qualify for Barclays Singapore Open in November.
