Ahmedabad, 30-01-2014
Lahiri maintains lead after a fighting 70 in round two
Lohan two shots behind in second place, local lad Varun Parikh makes the cut
Anirban Lahiri of Bangalore continued in the lead in round two of the PGTI Ahmedabad Masters presented by Kalhaar Blues & Greens. Lahiri posted a fighting two-under-70 on Thursday to stay two-strokes ahead of the rest of the field at 10-under-134. Faridabad’s Abhinav Lohan was placed second at eight-under-136 after he returned a brilliant 68 on day two.
The cut fell at seven-over-151. Fifty-five professionals and three amateurs made the cut.
Anirban Lahiri (64-70), the overnight leader by two shots, had a mixed first-nine as he picked up four birdies but also dropped a triple-bogey on the 14th. Anirban, a 10th tee starter on Thursday, was off to a flying start with birdies on the 12th and 13th but then found the water twice and three-putted to drop a triple-bogey on the 14th. He came back well with two long birdie putts on the 15th and 16th.
Lahiri started his second-nine with a bogey on the first but recovered once again courtesy an eagle on the par-5 fifth where his second shot landed three feet from the flag. Anirban made bogey-birdie on the seventh and eighth to end up with a brave 70 in round two.
Anirban said, “I had some flashes of brilliance today but also made some unnecessary errors. I tried a bit too much with my drive into the wind on the 14th and that led to a terrible swing which resulted in the ball landing in the water. However, I was happy with my good temperament that helped me come back well with birdies on the next two holes. I couldn’t recover from a bad lie on the first hole and that led to a bogey which disturbed my momentum. But the eagle on the fifth came at the right time for me and got me back in the right frame of mind. I was quite pleased with my ability to bounce back today. That was one positive aspect that I’ll take forward from round two.”
Abhinav Lohan (68-68), who was overnight joint sixth, didn’t have a great start to the day as he bogeyed the first hole where he failed to get out of the bunker in the first attempt. The 25-year-old rallied with birdies on the seventh and eighth but he was back to one-under for the day after dropping shots on the ninth and 10th.
Abhinav, a part of the Indian quartet that won the team silver medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, had a much better back-nine. He converted putts from 10 to 15 feet for birdies on the 12th and 14th. Lohan signed off in style with birdies on the last three holes that featured a chip-in on the 16th and a 20-feet putt on the 17th.
“The wind was in play today and the pins were tougher as compared to yesterday, so scoring was not that easy. I started off poorly and really got going on the back-nine. I enjoyed a good stretch over the last seven holes as I converted most of the putts and managed five birdies. Closing with birdies on the last three holes was a big morale-booster,” said Lohan, who had finished 13th on the 2013 Rolex Rankings.
He added, “I’m playing at Kalhaar Blues & Greens for the first time and it’s been a wonderful experience as the design of the course matches world standards. I find the par-3 16th hole quite challenging due to its layout.”
Chandigarh’s Sujjan Singh fired the day’s best score of 67 that placed him in tied third at four-under-140 along with Rahil Gangjee of Kolkata, Kanishk Madan of Delhi, Panchkula’s Angad Cheema and Mhow golfer Om Prakash Chouhan.
Divyanshu Bajaj of Kolkata made a hole-in-one on the 16th where his six-iron tee shot pitched a yard short of the hole and landed in the cup after the second bounce. Bajaj fired a three-under-69 on Thursday to take his total score to two-over-146. He is now placed tied 21st.
Fifteen-year-old Varun Parikh of Ahmedabad makes the cut
Fifteen-year-old amateur Varun Parikh of Ahmedabad kept the local interest alive as he was one of the three amateurs to make the cut. Varun shot scores of 75 and 75 in the first two rounds to total six-over-150 and be placed tied 48th at the halfway stage. Parikh made two birdies and five bogeys in his second round.
Varun said, “It feels great to make the cut in my very first appearance in a professional event and that too in the presence of such big names in the field. I sank a 30-footer for birdie on the 17th today and holed a 10-feet putt for my other birdie on the ninth. I’ve been striking it well over the last two days and that has helped me earn my place in the final two rounds.”
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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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