Kolkata, 26-12-2014

Rashid Khan matches course record with phenomenal 63 to move into second; Emerges contender in Rolex Rankings

Shubhankar Sharma enjoys slender one-shot advantage; Atwal's 66 pushes him up to tied sixth

It turned out to be an eventful second day at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship as Delhi's Rashid Khan matched the course record at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) with a phenomenal nine-under-63 to climb from overnight tied 14th to second place at 10-under-134. Rashid, currently fourth in the Rolex Rankings, has now also emerged as a major contender for the Rolex Player of the Year title. Gurgaon's Shubhankar Sharma maintained his overnight lead after a round of three-under-69. Shubhankar is now one shot clear of Rashid at 11-under-133.

Chikkarangappa of Bangalore, who closed the day in third place at nine-under-135, continues to be another top contender for number one position in the 2014 Rolex Rankings.

Indian golfing great and local favourite Arjun Atwal came up with the day's second-best score of 66 to rise from overnight tied 22nd to tied sixth at six-under-138.

Rashid Khan (71-63), a two-time winner on the Asian Tour this year, followed up his sedate opening round of 71 with an incredible 63 on Friday to match the course record which was earlier jointly held by American Edward Fryatt and Arjun Atwal. While Fryatt achieved the feat during his 1997 Indian Open triumph, Atwal equalled the score en route a tournament victory in 2001.

The 23-year-old Rashid produced a hat-trick of birdies from the fourth to the sixth, landing it within six feet on two occasions. This was followed by three birdie conversions from a range of 15 to 20 feet on the ninth, 10th and 13th. The icing on the cake for Rashid was the eagle-birdie combination on the 15th and 16th. He hit an accurate three-iron second shot from long range on the par-5 15th to set up his eight-foot eagle putt.

“I had a feeling that I would shoot a six or seven under today since I made some subtle changes in my putting stroke after yesterday’s round. I made the changes as I needed to feel good with the putter. These changes seemed to have worked for me as I converted some long putts in round two. It’s great to equal the course record. I’ve always done well at RCGC, having won two amateur tournaments here. I also won last year’s Rolex Rankings after finishing sixth at RCGC during the 2013 edition of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship. I’ll therefore head into the last two rounds with loads of confidence,” said Rashid.

The prolific Khan added, “It’s been a terrific year for me so far with three wins under my belt, including two on the Asian Tour. The international exposure this year has helped me raise my game. I know I’m now also in contention to retain my Rolex Player of the Year title, but instead of focusing on that, I’d like to just play to my potential in the last two days of the season.”

Shubhankar Sharma (64-69) mixed five birdies with two bogeys to hold on to the lead on Friday. While the 18-year-old knocked in three long birdie putts, including a mammoth 35-footer on the eighth, he also dropped two bogeys as a result of errors in club-selection.

“My driving was probably better as compared to round one but my iron-hitting wasn’t that great. I also didn’t enjoy a good start today. I’ll look to improve on my iron-play in the next two rounds. I feel I just need to keep grinding it out and make the first six holes and the last four holes count as those holes present the most scoring opportunities,” said Shubhankar, currently ranked 11th in the Rolex Rankings.

He added, “I held my own in a high-pressure situation at the Panasonic Open last month by finishing fourth. So I know I can face the tough challenge this week as well.”

The 21-year-old Chikkarangappa kept himself in the hunt for the title this week as well as the Rolex Rankings crown after a round of 69 that placed him third, two strokes off the lead. 

Gaganjeet Bhullar and Delhi’s Shamim Khan are joint fourth at seven-under-137.

The Kolkata duo of Arjun Atwal and Shankar Das occupies tied sixth place at six-under-138. Shankar (70), currently third in the Rolex Rankings, is also a contender for the Rolex Player of the Year title.

Atwal followed up his quiet opening round of 72 with an error-free 66 on day two that featured an eagle and four birdies to gain eight places from his overnight tied 14th position. Arjun landed his approach shots within three feet for birdie on the 14th and eagle on 15th and sank two long birdie putts on the seventh and ninth.

Atwal said, “I landed it closer today and my putting was a little better as compared to round one. I’ll look at shooting a score of around six-under in round three in order to stay in contention. I’m very proud that our young golfers such as Rashid, Chikkarangappa and Shubhankar are playing so well.”

Rahil Gangjee, another local lad, lies joint eighth along with Delhi’s Chiragh Kumar at five-under-139.