Noida, 17-04-2019
Shamim Khan and C Muniyappa grab the joint lead on day two of Delhi-NCR Open 2019
Delhi’s Shamim Khan and Bengaluru’s C Muniyappa grabbed the joint second round lead at nine-under-135 at the TATA Steel PGTI’s Delhi-NCR Open 2019 at the Noida Golf Course (NGC) on Wednesday.
Shamim, a two-time winner at the NGC, shot the second round’s best score of six-under-66 while Muniyappa fired a three-under-69.
Bengalurean Chikkarangappa, an Asian Tour regular, brought in a card of 69 to be placed third at eight-under-136 at the halfway stage of the Rs. 30 lakh event.
The tournament witnessed pleasant weather for the second successive day as a result of the overcast conditions. However, rain and lightning in the second half of the day led to a 25-minute stoppage in play. There was also a 10-minute dust storm which preceded the rain.
The cut came down at two-over-146. Fifty-one professionals and one amateur made the cut.
Shamim Khan (69-66) moved up nine spots from his overnight tied 10th as a result of his flawless second round effort. Khan, a winner of 14 events on the PGTI, was just one-under through his first seven holes on Wednesday before he picked up the pace with consecutive birdies on the eighth and ninth. On the eighth he played a brilliant bunker shot that landed a foot from the flag while on the ninth he sank a 15-footer.
Shamim then earned three more birdies on the back-nine after landing it close on the 13th, chipping-in on the 16th and draining it from 21 feet on the 18th.
Khan said, “My confidence with the putter has been low in recent times. But my putting average was much better today and that led to the good score. I also capitalized after landing it really close on a few occasions.
“I’ve already posted two top-10s this year and my scores have been consistent so now it’s just a matter of putting four good rounds together. I’m always confident of playing well at NGC as I’ve won here on two previous occasions. I feel that I’m now well-placed to consolidate over the last two days,” added Shamim, who won his last PGTI event in November 2018 in Digboi, Assam.
C Muniyappa (66-69) rolled in putts at will on day two as five of his six birdies were a result of conversions from a range of 15 to 25 feet. He also dropped three bogeys. Muniyappa thus gained one position from his overnight second place.
Muniyappa said, “It was all about my putting today as I kept finding the hole. I’ve managed to go back to my old golf swing and that has also been very reassuring. I had a solid back-nine today with two birdies and no errors and that has given me the added confidence going into the last two days.”
Chikkarangappa’s six birdies and three bogeys saw him move within one shot of the lead at eight-under-136.
Kolkata’s Shankar Das, the first round leader, slipped to fourth place at six-under-138 after he shot a 73.
Defending champion Honey Baisoya of Delhi occupied tied 11th place at three-under-141.
Gaurav Pratap Singh was the best-placed among the Noida golfers. He was tied 14th at two-under-142.
Harshjeet Singh Sethie of Noida was the only amateur to make the cut. He was tied 37th at one-over-145.
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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