Anand Datla
Gurugram, March 11, 2017: As the golfers pace frantically to complete their second round, we are left with just ten men under par. There is Indian titan lurking just outside the spotlight, one who turned in a 70 yesterday. Jyoti Randhawa is among a small group of just four men to have broken par in the incomplete second round. The Indian legend has been in good nick this season. A good performance this week could be just the fillip he needs to resurrect his fortunes.
Randhawa, ranked 441 in the world, will turn 45 in May. But he is still one of fittest golfers in the field here. A top 20 finish in the Mauritius Open last year served to remind fans of Jyoti’s lingering hunger for success.
Randhawa endured a 75 in the first round of the Hero Indian Open, peppered with five bogeys. But the veteran star seemed to have absorbed the lessons thoroughly as he set out like a man on a mission on Friday. After all, Randhawa has great memories of the tournament. He is the last man to have defended the Indian Open title when he won in 2007.
He stayed clean on the front nine with three consecutive birdies from the fourth decorating his card. Randhawa conceded bogeys at the 10th and 18th holes, but a birdie at the 16th helped mitigate some of the damage.
A 70 this week is gold dust and at 1-over 145, Jyoti is well placed for a good finish this week. It will be interesting to see if Randhawa can keep it all together and produce a memorable weekend.
Chiragh Kumar and Chikkarangappa are tied in at 4-over 148, which seems a rather comfortable place to make the cut this week.
Ajeetesh Sandhu and Deepinder Khullar are also making the most of an opportunity to play in a stellar field of international golfers. The two men are at 6-over and if current trend holds, should just about sneak into the weekend.
