Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, 03-07-2014
Om Prakash Chouhan fires 64 for the clubhouse lead in round two
Rashid Khan's 63 is day's best, Naman Dawar shoots hole-in-one
Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow emerged as the clubhouse leader in round two of the J&K Bank PGTI Pahalgam Masters presented by KEO. Chouhan returned an error-free six-under-64 to take the clubhouse lead at the Lidder Valley Golf Course with an 11-under-129 total as it drizzled through the day. Kapurthala’s Ashbeer Saini was in second place, one shot off the lead.
Round one, which could not be completed on Wednesday due to the rain interruption, was completed on Thursday morning by the remaining sixty players. Twenty-eight players out of a total of 125 were yet to finish round two when play was suspended due to fading light on Thursday at 7:45 pm local time. Round two will resume on Friday morning. The cut will be made at the end of round two and before the commencement of round three on Friday.
Om Prakash Chouhan (65-64) followed up his 65 in the opening round with a blistering 64 in round two to be placed on top of the leaderboard. The two-time winner on the PGTI pocketed two birdies on his first-nine and added four more on his second-nine.
“I’ve been taking my chances on the greens with some long putts and that has helped me post two good scores. I just hope to carry on the good work over the next two days,” said Chouhan.
Ashbeer Saini (65-65) posted a second straight 65 on day two to be placed second. Saini sank six birdies and dropped a lone bogey in round two to emerge as a major contender. The 21-year-old, who draws inspiration from another Kapurthala golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar, knocked down four birdies from a range of 10 to 30 feet in round two.
Saini said, “I putted really well in both the rounds. I had to complete 24 holes today but didn’t feel tired as I was playing well. The first two rounds have put me in a great position. I’ve been close to winning on several occasions in the past but now I feel that a win is just around the corner as my consistency has improved this year. There are a few challenges when you play in rain as the course plays longer and it becomes difficult to grip the club. One needs to adapt quickly in such a situation. I think I adapted well enough to be in such a strong position.”
Aditya Bhandarkar (65-66) of Pune followed up his first round 65 with a 64 in round two to be placed third along with Jyoti Randhawa, Khalin Joshi and Arshdeep Tiwana. Bhandarkar, who recently had two top-20 finishes on the PGTI Feeder Tour, came up with six birdies against two bogeys in the second round.
“My good performances on the Feeder Tour have just lifted my game. The round of six-under in Karnal gave me a lot of confidence. I need to be patient now and convert all the opportunities that come my way,” said Bhandarkar.
Delhi’s Rashid Khan, the reigning Rolex Rankings champion, shot the day’s best score of seven-under-63 to be joint 11th at seven-under-133.
Naman Dawar of Delhi fired a hole-in-one on the 15th during his second round of 66. Dawar’s six-iron tee shot landed one foot short of the hole before ending up in the cup. Naman is currently in tied 17th place at six-under-134.
Rashid Khan wants friend Pawan Verma to do well
Rashid Khan, who shot the day’s best, a bogey-free 63, is looking forward to his close friend and round one leader Pawan Verma performing well at Pahalgam.
Rashid said, “I’m here to compete hard but if there’s one player who I really hope does well and maybe even goes onto win, is my close friend Pawan Verma. I’ve known Pawan well for quite a few years and have seen the ups and downs in his playing career. Now that he’s shot an eight-under in the opening round, I’m hopeful he’ll make an impact this week.
“Pawan is also very temperamental like me and gets angry when he’s not playing well. I’ve asked him to stay calm and patient this week. I look forward to seeing him in the leader group on the final day,” added Rashid.
Leading Scores on Day 2:
129: Om Prakash Chouhan (65-64)
130: Ashbeer Saini (65-65)
131: Aditya Bhandarkar (65-66), Khalin Joshi (65-66), Arshdeep Tiwana (65-66), Jyoti Randhawa (65-66)
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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. Srinivasan H R (President), PGTI's governing body comprises leading Indian golf professionals. PGTI currently has over 300 members.
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