Order of Merit champion Yuvraj Sandhu was back in a familiar place, at the head of the field, after day two of the Tata Open in Jamshedpur on Friday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Rankings champion Yuvraj Sandhu topped the leaderboard with a fiery 8 under par 64 in round two of the Tata Open in Jamshedpur on Friday.
The Rs 2 crore event being played at the Beldih and Golmuri golf courses is the season-ender.
Sandhu (67-64), who played at Beldih on Friday, totalled 11 under 131 at the halfway stage to lead by three shots and move up seven places from tied eighth overnight, the PGTI said.
The six-time winner on the PGTI this year has already won the PGTI Order of Merit crown and sealed his spot on the DP World Tour for next year.
Sandhu is now on the hunt for an unprecedented seventh title on the domestic tour.
Twenty-one-year-old Shubham Jaglan (68-66), playing his third PGTI event, returned a 4 under 66 at Golmuri to move into second place on 8 under 134.
The 36-hole cut fell at 2 over 144 with 53 professionals making the money rounds.
Rare format
In round one, half the field played 18 holes at Beldih Golf Club while the other half did so at Golmuri Golf Club, the only event on the PGTI calendar this format is used.
The sequence was switched around in round two, and in rounds three and four, the leading groups will play their first nine holes at Golmuri before moving to Beldih to play their second nine holes.
Sandhu, four shots behind overnight leaders Khalin Joshi and Veer Ahlawat, picked up three consecutive shots on the front nine.
He then had a minor blip with a bogey on hole 10 before going on a birdie spree with six straight gains from 11 to 16.
Sandhu’s back nine birdies included two top-class up and downs, two long conversions from between 12 and 15 feet and two four-foot conversions.
Tight schedule
“I was feeling the effects of playing back-to-back weeks till the first round on Thursday,” Sandhu said.
“There was exhaustion. But today my body felt much better, I was more in control of things and able to swing freely. As a result, my ball-striking was also significantly better.
“Beldih was a little windy today and I feel I now thrive when the wind is up as I’ve played a lot in similar conditions in Asia. These conditions get the best out of me.”
Also read: Joshi, Ahlawat share day one Tata Open honours at Golmuri
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