Delhi, 03-11-2017
Shiv Kapur occupies second; Stays on course with second round 69
American Paul Peterson challenges Indian domination, goes ahead by one
Shiv Kapur was the best placed Indian at the halfway stage of the Asian Tour’s US$400,000 Panasonic Open India. Kapur, playing at his home course, the Delhi Golf Club (DGC), backed up his opening round seven-under-65 with a second round of three-under-69 to take his tally to an impressive 10-under-134.
American Paul Peterson challenged the Indian domination on day two with a sizzling eight-under-64 that gave him a one stroke lead at 11-under-133.
Shamim Khan, another DGC-based player, was one shot behind Kapur in third place. There were eight Indians in the top 10 at the end of day two.
Play was suspended due to darkness at 5.30pm (local time) with two players - Aman Raj and Feroz Singh Garewal set to resume their rounds at 8 am on Saturday morning.
Shiv Kapur (65-69) continued in second place for the second straight day as he made five birdies at the cost of a double-bogey that came on the par-4 third hole. He was four-under for the day through 11 holes before the disastrous double-bogey. Kapur managed to recover some ground with birdie on the eighth.
A confident Shiv said, “All things considered, I did well today. I played my opening nine holes (10-18) pretty solid and I didn’t miss a shot. Although, I made one bad swing at the third as I was trying to do too much with the shot. I was trying to turn the ball around the corner, but I hit it into the bush and made double bogey.
“But, I felt that I hung in there quite well for the rest of the round and didn’t let it slip away. I scored a birdie on 8th and par on 9th, so there’s positive momentum going into the weekend.
“During the press conference I mentioned that 15-under-par is the winning score, but looking at the way the leading golfers are playing, it will probably be even more. Going into the weekend, I’ll be very happy if I can do the same as the first two rounds. If 20-under-par isn’t good enough for a win, then hats off to the person who beats me.”
Shamim Khan (66-69), tied third after round one, ended Friday in sole third place at nine-under-135. Shamim, the current PGTI Order of Merit leader, carded a 69 that saw him make five birdies on the front-nine and two bogeys on the back-nine.
Shamim, a three-time winner at the DGC (all on the Indian professional circuit), said, “I had an exceptional front-nine as I was four-under through five holes and five-under through eight holes. But then missed some short putts on the back-nine that resulted in two bogeys.
“I hit it pretty close on the front-nine and left myself birdie putts from a range of seven feet on four occasions. The best birdie of the day was the 15-footer on the third. My putting was quite consistent.
“I need to improve on my tee shots if I have to have a chance here. I have a good platform for the last two rounds, just need to keep the errors out from here on.”
SSP Chawrasia remained in contention for another Panasonic Open India victory after returning with a 69 for a share of fourth place with compatriot Divyanshu Bajaj (68) at eight-under-136.
Ajeetesh Sandhu, the first round leader, struggled on the back-nine where he dropped four shots during his round of 73. He thus slipped to tied sixth at seven-under-137, a spot he shared with fellow Indian Honey Baisoya (68), who has won four times on the PGTI in the last 12 months.
The two other Indians in the top 10 were Akshay Sharma and Aman Raj, both of whom were tied eighth at six-under. Aman Raj, however, had one hole remaining in round two.
About PGTI:
Formed in 2006, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) is the recognised official body of professional golf in India. PGTI's objective is to promote professional golf in the country, as well as to give players an opportunity to be involved in the decision making on all aspects of the game. Headed by Mr. Kapil Dev (President), PGTI's governing body comprises leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
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