Dhaka, Bangladesh, 25-04-2018
Kazuki Higa of Japan continues to dominate bti Open, leads by four at halfway stage
Bangladeshi duo of Md Sajib Ali and Md Zamal Hossain Mollah in tied second; Hole-in-one by India's Shivendra Singh Sisodia
Japan’s Kazuki Higa continued his domination at the US$ 60,000 bti Open with a second round of two-under-70 that moved his total to 12-under-132. Higa, who led the field by five strokes after day one, now leads by four shots at the halfway stage of the event being played at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka.
The Bangladeshi duo of Md Sajib Ali (67) and Md Zamal Hossain Mollah (68) were placed tied second at eight-under-136 at the event tri-sanctioned by the Asian Development Tour (ADT), Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Bangladesh Professional Golfers Association (BPGA).
Kazuki Higa (62-70), who had shot an extraordinary and flawless 62 on Tuesday, had a relatively quieter second round on Wednesday as he mixed three birdies with a bogey. Nonetheless, the round of 70 helped Kazuki consolidate his lead further.
Higa said, “It’s tough to follow up a round of 62 with another similar round. That doesn’t happen too often in golf. So I’m quite pleased with my 70 today as it kept me ahead.
“Importantly, I’ve dropped just one bogey in the week so far and kept the errors out of my game. That’s what I’ll look to do over the next two days,” added Kazuki, who is still searching for his maiden title.
Md Sajib Ali (69-67) returned an error-free 67 to the delight of the local fans that pushed him up from overnight tied ninth to tied second place.
Sajib said, “My putter was on fire today. I made a number of conversions from nine to 10 feet. I’ve drawn a lot of positives from my performance at the PGTI event in Chittagong earlier this month where I finished in the top-5 after playing some quality golf. It’s now about seizing the opportunities over the next two days.”
Md Zamal Hossain Mollah (68-68) fired a second straight 68 to rise from overnight tied fourth to tied second. Zamal’s round featured seven birdies and three bogeys. The highlight of his round was the chip-in for birdie on the 12th.
Aman Raj (66) and M Dharma (71) were the best-placed among the Indians as both ended the day in tied seventh at five-under-139. The Indian pair was joined by Bangladesh’s premier golfer Md Siddikur Rahman (69) in tied seventh place.
India’s Shivendra Singh Sisodia made a hole-in-one on the sixth during his round of 70. He closed the day in tied 10th at four-under-140.
The cut went at two-over-146. Fifty-three professionals made the cut including 11 Bangladeshis and 19 Indians.
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.
For information on PGTI, please contact:
Nikhil Kalaan
Media Manager - PGTI
Mobile: 9910974846
Email: media@pgtofindia.com
