Gaganjeet grabs lead in round two

Digvijay Singh (137) matched Bhullar’s effort to grab the second spot one shot behind, while Jyoti Randhawa, Shamim Khan, Ashok Kumar and Rahil Gangjee went into the third place huddle at five-under 139.

The cut was declared at 149 and 54 professionals made the cut. Bhullar’s trademark 350-yard drive on his opening hole — 10th — gave a glimpse of the kind of form he has been in over the last few weeks. Although he missed a three feet putt for par on the 12th, the strapping six-footer from Kapurthala rallied to collect birdies on the 14th, 16th and 18th to put things in order. “I holed some good putts today. Missing a one foot putt for birdie on the 15th was a bit disappointing. However, I was really pleased with my effort on the 18th, where I recovered from the rough with a near-perfect pitching wedge shot to earn a birdie,” a satisfied Bhullar later said.

Looking ahead, the rising star Bhullar said he just could not afford to relax.
“The contest just seems to have begun. There are many contenders at the moment as Jyoti, Ashok, Shamim, Digvijay and Rahil have all shot good scores in round two. There are still 36 holes to go and anything can happen. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself at the moment,” he said.