Mewat, Haryana, 07-10-2015
Defending champ Rohana roars into contention with second round 65 at BILT Open, tied for the lead with Muniyappa
Defending champion Anura Rohana of Sri Lanka carded a brilliant seven-under-65 in round two of the BILT Open 2015 to enjoy the joint lead with a two-round total of 10-under-134. C Muniyappa of Bengaluru produced a one-under-71 at the Classic Golf & Country Club on Wednesday to share the lead with Rohana at the Rs. 1 crore event. Delhi’s Arjun Singh and Kolkata’s Shankar Das were three off the lead in tied third.
Anura Rohana (69-65), who was overnight tied eighth, seemed to be in sublime touch early in his round picking up birdies on the fourth, fifth and eighth after converting 10-footers on each occasion. Anura then looked certain for a low score as he chipped-in from 40 feet for an eagle on the ninth to make the turn at five-under.
Rohana, the reigning champion, was in trouble with his drive on the 10th and as a result dropped a stroke. The 42-year-old from Colombo however came back stronger with two magnificent chip shots that stopped three feet from the pin for birdies on the 14th and 18th. He also sank another 10-feet birdie on the 16th. His 65 was the day’s joint best score.
Anura said, “I’ve been playing well since the last event in Jaipur where I strung together some low scores to finish in the top-10. My ball-striking has been good since last week and today my chipping was outstanding.
“I feel putting will hold the key this week. Even though I won at the Delhi Golf Club last year, I believe the Classic Golf & Country Club course suits my game more. I give myself a good chance here,” added Rohana, currently in seventh place on the Rolex Rankings.
“Even though I don’t practice as much as some of the other professionals, I believe my game is on the course. I would rather play competitive rounds than practice. I’ve been busy coaching the Sri Lankan national team during the mid-season break and therefore didn’t get too much time to practice. But as is evident from my recent scores, that lack of practice hasn’t really affected my game,” said Rohana, a winner of three titles on the PGTI.
He added, “I’ve really enjoyed playing at Classic Golf & Country Club this week as the course is in perfect condition and the practice facilities are great. The new clubhouse has also been a huge attraction for the professionals with all its amenities.”
C Muniyappa (63-71), the sole leader after round one, returned a sedate 71 on day two to stay at the top along with Rohana.
Muniyappa had a glorious start with a birdie chip-in on the 10th but he stumbled with a double-bogey on the next after hitting it out of bounds. He then rallied with some long birdie putts from 15 to 25 feet on the 13, 15 and 17. The former Indian Open champion was in trouble once again as he dropped a bogey and double-bogey on the first and third after some poor tee shots and approaches. He recovered some lost ground at the end with a superb 20-feet eagle putt on the ninth.
Muniyappa said, “I drove badly today. After the early double-bogey I recovered well. But all that hard work was undone by the dropped shots on the back-nine. I’m glad I pulled it back somewhat with an eagle at the end. My putting was good but I need to improve on my hitting over the next two days.”
Arjun Singh and Shankar Das were joint third at seven-under-137 with rounds of 71 and 66 respectively.
Mysore’s Harish K, Abhijit Singh Chadha of Chandigarh and Meerut’s Sudhir Sharma shared fifth place at six-under-138. Harish’s 65 was the day’s joint best score along with Rohana’s 65.
The cut was declared at two-over-146. Fifty-seven professionals and two amateurs made the cut.
About Avantha
The Avantha Group’s entities in diversified sectors include Crompton Greaves (power transmission and distribution equipment and services), BILT (paper and pulp), BTTL (Bilt Tree Tech Limited), The Global Green Company Limited (food processing), Biltech Building Elements Limited (infrastructure), Avantha Power (energy), Avantha Ergo (Life Insurance), Avantha Business Solutions Limited (IT and ITES), Jg Glass (glass containers).
With a global footprint, the Group operates in 90 countries with more than 25,000 employees worldwide.
For more information on Avantha, please visit www.avanthagroup.com
About BILT
Ballarpur Industries Limited (BILT), part of the Avantha Group, is India’s largest manufacturer of writing and printing (W&P) paper. More than 35% of India’s demand for coated wood-free grades rolls out of BILT’s state-of-the-art plant. BILT is a vertically integrated player and has a presence across most elements of the paper value chain. It has a multi-tiered distribution network with over 440 distributors in India, with most of the volume being sold by exclusive distributors. In addition, the Company also enjoys a strong market presence in South East Asia, Middle East and Africa.
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
