Jaypee Greens, Greater Noida, 14-02-2013
Bhullar, Murthy take hosts Greater Noida to the top in Louis Philippe Cup 2013
Himmat Singh Rai turns it on for Silverglades Delhi
Gaganjeet Bhullar and R Murthy set the Greg Norman-designed Jaypee Greens Golf Course ablaze with scores of seven-under-65 and five-under-67 respectively to catapult hosts Jaypee Greens Greater Noida to pole position after the second round of the Louis Philippe Cup 2013, India’s premier pro team golf event.
While Indian ace and team leader Gaganjeet Bhullar was at the top of his game in round two, Bangalore-based R Murthy, a last minute replacement for the injured Vijay Kumar in the Greater Noida team, gave him able support with a splendid bogey-free round.
The 34-year-old from Murthy, who had posted a sedate one-over-73 in the first round, raised his game to lift his team on Thursday. Murthy registered birdies on the fifth, seventh, ninth, 12th and 15th to take the team’s aggregate for the day to 11-under-132.
Speaking about his exceptional performance on Thursday, Murthy said he was determined to contribute to the team’s cause. "The key to my bogey-free round were my good recovery shots from the bunker and my precision with the wedges. I really wanted to prove that I’m not here just to make up the numbers but in fact I belong here,” said the professional from the KGA golf course in Bangalore.
“When I came to the course today, I told myself that I need to hit an under-par score to ensure that my team goes into the semi-finals. My teammates, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Sanjay Kumar’s pep talk really helped me to focus,” added the elated golfer.
The Greater Noida team’s total for the first two days now stands at 16-under-272. Gaganjeet Bhullar followed up his first round 67 with a fantastic 65 in round two to take his aggregate to 12-under-132 for the first two days. Bhullar’s second round effort was punctuated by two eagles on the 15th and the fourth hole and birdies on the 10th, 12th, second and ninth besides a lone bogey.
Joining Greater Noida in the semi-finals would be holders Navratna Ahmedabad, Silverglades Delhi and DLF Gurgaon.
Defending champions Navratna Ahmedabad once again came up with a consistent performance to end the day with an aggregate of eight-under-136. Sri Lankan Mithun Perera, the star performer from round one, returned a card of three-under-69 while Vinod Kumar took the lead in scoring in the second round with a five-under-67 for an overall team aggregate of 14-under-275 for the first two days.
“My chipping and putting was spot-on today. The best moment of the round was the chip-in for birdie from 40 feet on the 13th hole,” said Vinod Kumar. He further added, "I’m happy that our team is in a strong position and we are confident that we will retain our title."
Facing them in an 18-hole stroke play semi-final would be Silverglades Delhi, who once again returned a day’s total of six-under-138 to take the third spot.
Himmat Singh Rai, a winner on the Asian Tour in 2011, carded a 67 which included seven birdies and two bogeys, to keep the Delhi team in the hunt.
DLF Gurgaon made it to the last four after registering an aggregate of one-under-143 on the second day with only Abhinav Lohan managing a sub-par round. Their two-day total of seven-under-281 helped them pip Take Chennai by one stroke.
They will now face table-toppers Jaypee Greens Greater Noida for a place in the final.
The teams from fifth to eighth position will participate in the play-offs for standings while ninth-placed Dev-Ellora Chandigarh has been eliminated.
Standings: 272 – Greater Noida; 274- Navratna Ahmedabad; 276 – Silverglades Delhi; 281-DLF Gurgaon, 282-Take Chennai; 283- AVT Kolkata; 286 – Puravankara Bangalore; 287- Shubhkamna Noida; 292 – Dev-Ellora Chandigarh.
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