Chandigarh, March 3, 2011: Gaganjeet Bhullar of Kapurthala and Kolkata’s Shankar Das are the joint leaders after round two of the Aircel PGTI Players Championship presented by Chandigarh Golf Club. The joint leaders totaled seven under 137 with Bhullar firing a two under 70 and Shankar recording a bogey-free four under 68 on Thursday.
Bangladesh’s Md Zamal Hossain Mollah, Delhi golfer Chiragh Kumar, Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad and Lucknow’s Vijay Kumar lie tied third at five under 139.
Jeev Milkha Singh climbed from overnight tied 25th to tied 14th after he posted a 70 in round two. His overall score now reads three under 141.
The cut was declared at three over 147. Fifty professionals and one amateur made the cut.
Gaganjeet Bhullar (67-70) began from the 10th and picked up his first birdie of the day with a 10 feet putt on the 13th. A three-putt on the second hole brought him back to even par for the day. Bhullar made consecutive birdies on the sixth and seventh to close the day with a two under.
“I missed a number of short putts today and did not make the most of the opportunities that came my way. Nonetheless, a score of seven under at the halfway stage sets me up for the last two days,” said Bhullar, a two-time winner on the Asian Tour.
Shankar Das (69-68) was looking good for an extremely low number when he made four birdies on his first nine but the birdies dried up for him on the second nine as he struggled to convert the short putts.
Shankar said, “My iron-play was much better as compared to round one. My chipping was flawless and I landed my shots from 50 to 80 yards within three feet of the pin on a few occasions. I need to be consistent with my putting from here on.”
Shamim Khan, the overnight leader, slipped to tied seventh place after he produced a score of 74 on Thursday. His total moved to four under 140.
Jeev Milkha Singh (71-70) made birdies on the third and 13th in his round of 70. He sank a 12-footer for birdie on the third.
“It was a solid bogey-free round. I managed the course well. However, my distance control with the wedges was not as good as it should be. I need to hit it closer and create more opportunities,” said Jeev, who has made some adjustments in his swing as a result of his back injury.
Pawan Kumar of Delhi, playing his first season as a professional, registered a five under 67 that turned out to be the best score of the day. Pawan occupies tied 29th position with a two-day total of one over 145.
Local lad Rahul Bajaj (71-75) was the lone amateur to make the cut. His tally of two over 146 placed him tied 38th.