Bengaluru, 02-06-2016
Sujjan Singh shines for Dev Chandigarh on Day 2 of Louis Philippe Cup
Chandigarh lead by five strokes after round 2; Navratna, Zion Hills in joint second
Dev Chandigarh hung on to their leadership position in the Louis Philippe Cup Pro Golf League even though their overnight star Himmat Rai had an off day here at the KGA on Friday. His three-over 75 was offset by a spectacular five-under 67 by teammate Sujjan Singh and a steady and even par 72 by Amardip Malik for a team aggregate of thirteen under 275 after the second round.
Kapil Dev’s team cannot afford to relax though. They have defending champions Navratna Ahmedabad and hosts Zion Hills Bengaluru breathing down their necks; both are just five strokes behind at eight under 280 apiece.
Himmat had led the field with a seven under 65 in the opening round but he could only manage a 75 on Thursday. As only the best two individual scores of the day from each team are considered in this format his poor show didn’t hurt the Chandigarh team.
Sujjan more than made up for him by conjuring five birdies, on the 1st, 4th, 9th, 11th and 18th holes, in a bogey-free round. “My experience kept me in good stead today,” he said, looking relieved at the end of the day. “A few shots went awry and I was in difficult positions at times but my game helped me get out of them. It’s very satisfying to get a bogey-free round at the KGA,” he added.
He had the second day’s best card along with Abhijit Chadha of Bengaluru, who lifted his team from the fifth place on Wednesday to the second position with his five under 67. His teammates M Dharma and Rahil Gangjee both returned with one-under 71s to leave them five strokes adrift of the leaders. Chadha, in fact, hit six birdies, on the 1st, 2nd, 12th, 13th, 15th and 18th holes, but he also had a bogey on the 7th hole that prevented him from being the day’s best performer.
“The greens have softened due to the rain. I started well and hit the ball well all day. The wind has also gone down a bit. I am happy with my performance but the team is what matters and I think we have a good chance now,” Chadha said.
Ahmedabad’s Mithun Perera from Sri Lanka was third on the individual leaderboard after the second round with a five-under 139. His countryman Anura Rohana carded a one-under 71 while Shankar Das’ performance was not considered after a par show on the day. They have a team total of 280 after the second round.
Perera got birdies on the 1st, 3rd and 4th while he holed out on the 10th from 115 yards. He however had a double bogey on the 7th and a bogey on the 8th hole that set him back.
“I played well but I missed several putts. Five to six putts were within five feet. If I had got those, I would have ended with a much higher score,” he said.
“Overall, we are very happy with the position we are on the table. Five is not a very big lead and we are confident of catching up with them. Over the two rounds, our team is in good form and none of us has played an over-par round. It is just a matter of two deep rounds and we can very well be on course again. In this kind of format, anything can happen and we will keep on playing our normal games till the last day and see what happens,” Perera added.
Shiv Chowrasia’s Take Chennai slipped to the fourth position with a team aggregate of seven under 281. They share the position with Laqshya Mumbai. Chowrasia hit four birdies but dropped shots on the second and third holes too for a two under 70 on Thursday. His partner Chikkarangappa also returned with a 70.
“I am not that satisfied with my performance. I had a horrible day with my putting, which otherwise is my strength. But I guess there is no point thinking about it anymore. I would rather focus on tomorrow. I am also not satisfied with how the entire team is playing but I am sure of a comeback. We still have a couple of rounds to play and we will hopefully be able to catch up with the leaders.
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