November 06, 2015: Home favourite Chiragh Kumar fired a solid six-under-par 66 to race into a three-shot lead at the halfway stage of the US$400,000 Panasonic Open India on Friday.
The 31-year-old recovered from a poor start where he was two-over through five holes by shooting nine birdies to lead on 11-under-par 133 at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC).
Overnight leader Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka, searching for a first Asian Tour win, slipped to second place following a 70 which included a double bogey on the 13th hole.
Siddikur Rahman of Bangladesh, a two-time Asian Tour winner, battled to a 70 to stay in contention as he shared third place alongside Thailand’s Pawin Ingkhapradid (68) and Zamal Hossain (67) on a 138 total.
The in-form Kumar fired six straight birdies from hole 15 and added three more birdies on his homeward nine. He was disappointed not to finish on a high note when his four-foot par putt on the last stopped inches from the hole.
“I told myself not to let the poor start get to me. I missed a short birdie putt on the 14th hole and I kept telling myself to move on. Everything fell into place after that so I’m glad I missed that putt!” said the India.
“I wish I holed a few more birdie putts and finish higher than I did. Being patient is something that comes with age, maturity and some experience. You keep grinding it out until the round is over,” added Kumar, who was part of the Indian team which won the silver medal in the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
Things are looking up for Kumar on and off the course as he became a father eight months ago with the arrival of his daughter. He also finished tied second at the Venetian Macao Open three weeks ago to secure playing rights for the 2016 Asian Tour season.
“I made my fair share of birdies so I can’t complain. All my birdies were close. It has been a while since I’ve been in the lead so I’m excited,” said Chiragh, who also finished second at the 2011 Hero Indian Open at DGC.
Perera, who is the son to Nandasena, a famous name on the old Asian circuit during the 1980s and 1990s, was disappointed not to build on his opening round lead.
He double bogeyed the 13th hole when his approach shot from the fairway bounced into the bushes but recovered nicely by shooting four birdies on his back nine to stay within three shots of Kumar.
“At DGC, one bad shot can take away a good round. I played quite well except for the double bogey on the 13th hole. I was on the fairway but my second shot bounced into the bush which was disappointing,” said Perera, who lost in a three-way play-off last year.
“I played better golf compared to yesterday but overall it was a mixed day. I hit a lot of my shots close to the hole but couldn’t hole the putts. I won’t worry about the next two days. I’ll try to get more red numbers and see where it leads me,” he added.
Siddikur struggled on the tees as he enters the weekend five shots back. “I should not pressure myself even though Chiragh is leading. Anything can happen here. One shot can give you huge problems here. I’ll just focus on my own game and that’s the key to a good score.”
The halfway cut was set at three-over-par 147 with a total of 71 players qualifying for the weekend rounds.
Scores after round 2 of the Panasonic Open India 2015 being played at the par 72, 6983 Yards Delhi GC course (am – denotes amateur):
133 – Chiragh KUMAR (IND) 67-66.
136 – Mithun PERERA (SRI) 66-70.
138 – Siddikur RAHMAN (BAN) 68-70, Pawin INGKHAPRADIT (THA) 70-68, Zamal HOSSAIN (BAN) 71-67.
139 – Vikrant CHOPRA (IND) 71-68, K. PRABAGARAN (SRI) 69-70.
140 – Shankar DAS (IND) 69-71, Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA) 68-72, Sattaya SUPUPRAMAI (THA) 67-73, Chikka S. (IND) 69-71.
141 – Sanjay KUMAR (IND) 70-71, Sujjan SINGH (IND) 71-70, Amardip MALIK (IND) 71-70, Jyoti RANDHAWA (IND) 69-72, Mukesh KUMAR (IND) 70-71, N. THANGARAJA (SRI) 68-73.
142 – Rashid KHAN (IND) 71-71, Khalin JOSHI (IND) 69-73, James BYRNE (SCO) 70-72, KOH Deng Shan (SIN) 72-70, Namchok TANTIPOKHAKUL (THA) 71-71, Niall KEARNEY (IRL) 71-71.
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