By Rahul Banerji
Overnight joint leader Manu Gandas scorched the HGA course in round 2 of the Golconda Masters Telangana Open on Friday, blasting a 10-under par 58 to open a five-shot lead over the field.
The Gurgaon golfer was on 17-under 122 with Noida’s Amardeep Malik second on 12-under 127 after a 7-under 61 on the day.
Waterlogging from heavy overnight rain on a couple of fairways led to two holes being reduced. As a result, par for the day was 68 against the normal 71 including a par-5 that was cut to a par-3.
Gurgaon-based rookie Kartik Sharma in his first event at the HGA since turning professional produced an error-free nine-under 59 for T3 on 10-under 129 along with Chandigarh’s Yuvraj Singh Sandhu who shot a six-under 62 on Friday.
There was a one-hour delay in the morning due to the wet conditions. It then rained briefly for about 20 minutes in the afternoon but play was not suspended at any stage.
The cut was fell at even-par 139 with 50 professionals and two amateurs making it through to the weekend.
Gandas (64-58) mixed five birdies with two bogeys on the front nine which saw him make two long conversions from 20 to 30 feet.
Still looking for his maiden title, Gandas was on fire on the back nine draining seven birdies which included some exceptional chip-putts, a recovery from the bunker on 17 and a 25-foot conversion on 18.
In style
The 25-year-old closed the day in style with birdies on his last five holes.
Gandas said later, “A 10-under is always special and a score of 58 sounds great.
“I’ve just been striking it great since day one and today I took all my opportunities on the greens.
“One has to make some subtle adjustments while playing in such conditions where rain has affected play. I did well in making those adjustments.
“I feel the back nine presents more scoring opportunities here and I capitalised on that. It’s now about taking it one round at a time and making the most of this big lead.”
NGC golfer Malik (66-61) climbed from overnight tied fourth to second after a round that included an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys. Malik made a sensational chip-in from the rough for an eagle-two on 14.
Amardeep, who has previously shot a nine-under at HGA, said, “I managed to play well through the brief period of rain when I was on 12, 13 and 14.
“I’m happy that I picked up four shots on that stretch with birdie-birdie-eagle. I’m playing well and looking forward to the weekend.”
Kartik Sharma (70-59), tied 28th and six off the lead at the start of the day, made early inroads with four birdies on the front nine including tap-ins on the sixth and eighth.
The back-nine was even better for the lanky left-hander as he accumulated five more birdies.
Good recovery
He staged a remarkable recovery from the lip of the fairway bunker on 12, landing his approach within 25 feet of the flag and then sinking the birdie putt.
After a birdie on 14, Sharma converted from seven to 10 feet to pick up shots on the last three holes.
Kartik said, “There was a little nervous energy when I began the week because I, like all the others, was playing tournament golf after a long time. But that nervousness helped me get into my zone.
“The course was playing softer compared to yesterday due to the rain. That actually suited my game as I have lower ball-flight with my irons compared to many other players.
“Usually my ball would have more run after landing but now it’s stopping thanks to the softer conditions.”
Bangalore-based Chikkarangappa S., the 2019 champion, was tied fifth at 9-under 130 along with Mysore’s Yashas Chandra.
PGTI Order of Merit leader Karandeep Kochhar of Chandigarh was seventh on 8-under 131.
Hyderabad-based professional Mohd Azhar was the highest-placed local golfer in tied 17th on 5-under 134.
Two amateur golfers from Hyderabad made the cut, Milind Soni (2-under 137) and Tej Gangavarapu (level par 139) were tied 20th and tied 28th respectively.
Also read: Gill Sr, Gandas share Telengana Open first round lead
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