Coal India Open second round leader Jamal Hossain of Dhaka executes a putt during the rain-affected proceedings at Kolkata’s Tollygunge Club on Thursday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Jamal Hossain held a two-shot lead after the rain-delayed second round of the Coal India Open was completed at Kolkata’s Tollygunge Club on Thursday.
The experienced Dhaka golfer carded a 7 under par 63 once the rain gods relented to total 12 under 128, two shots ahead of overnight clubhouse leader Kshitij Naveed Kaul, the DP World PGTI said.
Jamal, 41, a six-time winner on the DP World PGTI, brought in an eventful card that featured seven birdies, an eagle and two bogeys in his second round that spanned two days of interrupted play.
The second edition of the Rs 1 crore Coal India Open will now be decided over 54 holes after the final round on Friday which will see the field tee off under the shotgun format.
Hossain (65-63) began his second round three shots behind first-round topper Om Prakash Chouhan and was tied for fifth when heavy rain forced suspension of play on Wednesday.
He returned on Thursday to complete his round in the course of which he moved clear of the field.
Delhi’s Kaul (64-66) sits in second place on 10 under 130.
Two-way tie
Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma (66-65) and Ajeetesh Sandhu (63-68) shared third place at 9 -under 131. Former Asian Tour winner Sandhu endured multiple weather interruptions before completing his 2 under 68 on Thursday.
Current DP World PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar (67-65), 2023 rankings champion Chouhan (62-70), and University of South Florida graduate Shubham Jaglan (67-65) shared fifth place on 8 under 132.
Two chip-ins, on the eighth and par-five 13th, were among the highlights of Hossain’s round which he closed out with successive birdies after starting from the 10th tee.
His approach on 13 resulted in an eagle and helped him take control of the tournament.
“I chipped in twice so I’m very happy with the round,” Hossain said later.
“The course was soft, and the ball was not travelling as much after landing, which made hitting fairways very important.”
Hossain credited his driving for helping him handle the wet conditions. He estimated that he missed only two or three fairways during the round.
“I drove the ball really well and found most of the fairways. That made a big difference in these conditions,” he said.
The most fortunate moment came on the par-three 18th.
Lucky break
Hossain’s five-iron tee shot headed right and struck the out-of-bounds boundary before rebounding into the course. He took advantage of the reprieve by getting up and down for par.
“I was lucky on 18 because the ball came back into play,” he said. “I managed to save par, and that changed the momentum of my round and played very well after that.”
Hossain, currently 12th in the DP World PGTI Rankings, has previously won at Tollygunge Club and feels particularly comfortable at the Kolkata venue.
“Whenever I play at Tollygunge, it feels like my home course,” he said. “It is one of my favourite courses, and I always seem to play good golf here. I’ll go out tomorrow and try to do my best.”
Hossain also has recent experience of winning a weather-shortened event having captured the 2025 Telangana Golconda Masters after heavy rain in Hyderabad reduced the tournament to 54 holes.
Divyanshu Bajaj was the best-placed of the Kolkata-based players in tied 19th place on 3 under 137.
The cut fell at one-over 141, with 57 professionals from the field of 132 advancing to Friday’s final round.
Also read: Kaul holds Coal India Open clubhouse lead on rain-hit day two
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