Lucknow’s Rajesh Kumar Gautam on his way into the day two lead of the inaugural PGTI NexGen season-opener at the Golden Greens course near Gurgaon on Wednesday.
By Rahul Banerji
Rookie Rajesh Kumar Gautam fired a 6 under par 66 to surge into a three-shot lead on day two of the inaugural PGTI NexGen season-opener at the Golden Greens Golf & Polo Club near Gurgaon on Wednesday.
Gautam followed his opening 3 under 69 with an even better run to total 9 under 135 on a blemish-free day in the newly-launched second-tier event, the PGTI said.
The 35-year-old from Lucknow (69-66), who made six birdies without dropping a shot on Wednesday, rose two spots from his overnight tied third place.
Chandigarh’s Rajiv Kumar Jatiwal (65-73), the first-round leader by three shots, slipped to second on 6 under 138 with a 73 on day two.
Ahmedabad-based Aniket Sawant (69-70) was third on 5 under 139 on a day the cut fell at 2 over 146 with the top 36 pros going through to the third and final round.
Gautam, who only turned professional this year and earned himself a partial card on the PGTI through Qualifying School, seemed to hit fairways and greens at will in round two as he made 16 greens in regulation.
The round featured a 30-foot birdie conversion.
Rajesh said, “I guess my current position is a reward for my consistency over the past two days. I have hardly made any mistakes.
“Just dropped two shots in round one and today I was bogey-free. I kept landing it close today and also made a couple of long conversions.
“The focus in the final round will be to continue hitting as many greens as possible and playing steady golf. It’s now up to the others to catch up with me.”
Challenger draws big guns
Meanwhile, the HotelPlanner Tour, Professional Golf Tour of India and Royal Calcutta Golf Club will jointly stage the second edition of the Kolkata Challenge from Thursday.
The co-sanctioned tournament carries a prize purse of $300,000 and is the first event in the two-week Indian swing of the HotelPlanner Tour. A total of 156 players from 31 countries make up the field.
The Indian contingent will be led by Gaganjeet Bhullar and S.S.P. Chawrasia, the latter playing at his home course.
Gaganjeet Bhullar at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club on Wednesday ahead of the Kolkata Challemnger. Image courtesy PGTI.
Other prominent Indian stars include Rahil Gangjee, Rashid Khan, Ajeetesh Sandhu, HotelPlanner Tour winner Om Prakash Chouhan, Manu Gandas, Udayan Mane, Yuvraj Sandhu, Chikkarangappa S., Karandeep Kochhar, HP Tour qualifier Saptak Talwar among others.
Leading names from the tour in the field include England’s Eddie Pepperell and Jamie Rutherford, Italy’s Renato Paratore, Adri Arnaus of Spain and American Matt Oshrine, to name a few.
HotelPlanner tour director Jamie Hodges said, “We’re delighted to be back at Royal Calcutta Golf Club for the second successive year and to team up with the PGTI once again for two co-sanctioned events.
Historic venue
“This is a golf club that is steeped in history and it will provide the perfect test for all of the players in the field this week, just like it did 12 months ago. We’re excited for play to get underway.”
Added PGTI CEO Amandeep Johl, “We thank the HotelPlanner Tour and RCGC for partnering with us in staging the second edition of the Kolkata Challenge.
“Golf fans in Kolkata are in for a treat as leading Indian professionals and a number of talented names from Europe go head-to-head at one of the iconic venues in the country.
“There will be a strong Indian presence with established names being a part of the field. The tournament also provides valuable international exposure to the young and emerging Indian professionals. We wish the players all the best.”
The RCGC, affectionately known as the ‘Royal’, is the oldest golf club outside of the British Isles, having been established in 1829.
It is widely regarded as the home of the game in the country and has staged some of the most prestigious tournaments on Indian soil, including the Indian Open and the All-India Amateur Championship.
The 7014-yard course favours long hitters and inaccurate shots are punished severely. The large number of water hazards makes this course a real challenge.
Also read: Jatiwal fires Into first-round lead at PGTI NexGen season-opener
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