Delhi’s Kshitij Naveed Kaul just managed to beat the rain on his way into the clubhouse lead on day two of the Coal India Open at Kolkata’s Tollygunge Club on Wednesday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Kshitij Naveed Kaul held the clubhouse lead as heavy rain forced the suspension of round two of the Coal India Open at Tollygunge Club in Kolkata on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Delhi golfer, who began the day two shots off the pace, made five birdies and a bogey in his 4 under par 66 to move to 10 under 130 for a one-shot lead, the DP World PGTI said.
Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma fired a 5 under 65 to climb from tied ninth to second place at 9 under 131, one shot behind Kaul.
Nearly half the field of 132 was yet to complete the second round when the downpour halted play at 1 pm.
Due to the resulting soggy conditions on the course, round two was officially suspended at 3:45 pm and will resume at 7 am on Thursday.
Starting from the first tee, Kaul opened with five consecutive pars before making back-to-back birdies on holes six and seven.
He picked up three more shots on the back nine before dropping his only bogey on18.
Mixed bag
Overnight leader Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow followed his opening 8 under 62 with an even-par 70. The 2023 DP World PGTI Rankings champion mixed three birdies with as many bogeys to move to 8 under 132.
DP World PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar (67-65) also shot a 65 to join Chouhan in a share of third place having begun the day tied 14th and five shots off the lead.
Conditions were more demanding than in the opening round, but Kaul remained patient during his steady start.
“The course played a little longer today and the conditions were tougher,” said Kaul.
“I had a few early birdie opportunities that I couldn’t convert, but I stayed patient and am pleased with the way I kept myself in contention.”
A 20-foot birdie putt on the sixth provided his first breakthrough.
Kaul then came close to an eagle on 10 before settling for birdie, while an important up-and-down on 14 helped maintain the momentum of his round.
Just in time
“We played the final hole in the rain and were fortunate to finish before the weather worsened. I don’t think the group behind us managed to complete its round,” he said.
Kaul also drew confidence from his performance at last week’s J&K Open in Srinagar as he continued his encouraging start to the second half of the season.
“It is always enjoyable playing in Kashmir, and I played a lot of good golf there last week. I’ve carried some encouraging form into this week and hope to keep building on it,” he added.
Ajeetesh Sandhu, second after his opening 63, managed to finish only three holes on Wednesday with his total still at 7 under.
Shaurya Bhattacharya, tied for third with his 6 under 64 on day one, had just begun his round when rain halted play on Wednesday.
The projected cut currently stands at one-over.
Also read: Chouhan bags an ace en route to Coal India Open Day 1 lead
Discover more from Tee Time Tales
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.