By Rahul Banerji
Sri Lanka’s N. Thangaraja returned a cracking 9-under par round of 63 in the Rs 1.5 crore Tata Steel PGTI Tour Championship in Jamshedpur on Friday to take a one-shot lead into the weekend, and all to play for.
On a day of remarkably consistent scoring from the 74-strong field, only eight players failed to break par. In all, there are just 11 par-plus totals after two days of action at the Golmuri Golf Course.
Underlining the string of low scores, Delhi’s Honey Baisoya sank a record-equalling three eagles in his second round to climb into shared seventh place four shots behind Thangaraja, who is on 15-under 129 after two days.
Two-time Indian Open champion Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia continued to hold on to second place one shot behind the 38-year-old from Colombo, and was joined by Gaganjeet Bhullar and Shankar Das on 14-under 130.
On the day, Chawrasia had a 5-under 67 on his card, Kapurthala’s Bhullar produced an 8-under 64 while the Kolkata-based Das came home with a 6-under 66.
Thangaraja (66-63), tied ninth overnight four shots off the lead, was in fine form and used his 3-wood tee shots with great effect in an error-round free round.
Flying start
The three-time winner on the PGTI made a flying start with birdies on his first four holes with every putt being within three feet. Thereafter, he came up with a splendid approach from 230 yards on the par-5 ninth that set up a four-foot eagle conversion.
Thanga’s climb up the leaderboard continued on the back nine as he landed the ball almost within tap-in range to pick up a further three birdies.
Thangaraja, currently 17th on the PGTI Rankings thanks to four top-10s this season, said, “I was exceptional with the 3-wood today as I’ve been this whole season. It is my biggest strength as of now. I’m hardly using the driver on the tee. I had a lot of control with the club today and that helped me score well.
“I’ve hit it extremely close in the first two rounds and not needed to make any long putts. I’ve dropped just one bogey so far in 36 holes and that’s been very satisfying.
“I’ve recorded three top-10s in Jamshedpur in the past so I’m quite confident of doing well at this venue once again. I’m very comfortable on this course.
Chance to improve
“I last won in March 2018 so I’m eager to end the winless streak. I’m also not totally satisfied with my performance this season especially compared to last year when I finished 10th in the PGTI Order of Merit. I now have a chance to salvage my season with a good outing here in Jamshedpur.”
Bhullar (66-64) was also tied ninth after round one and he set the tone for his round early with a 40-foot eagle putt. The winner of 10 international titles is playing in Jamshedpur after 12 years.
He recovered well from the bunker to collect a birdie on the fourth hole and then used his wedges well to make five birdies including one to close out what would have been a satisfying round.
Smooth sailing
“The eagle at the start gave me a lot of momentum and confidence,” Bhullar said. “Thereafter, it was smooth sailing since I hit almost all fairways and gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities.
“My goal was to keep the ball in play and try to attack all flags and I executed that plan well today. I expect to continue in the same manner over the next two days.
“The layout at Golmuri has changed a lot since I last played here. The course has become tougher and demands more accuracy off the tee.”
Das (64-66), who moved up one place in round two, has been bogey-free so far in 36 holes. The former PGTI Order of Merit champion has got his rhythm back with the driver and thus made four birdies and a closing eagle from 15 feet on the 18th.
Chawrasia’s round of 67 was also a flawless effort to follow up on Thursday’s 63. He began the day with birdies on the first two holes. He then added three more to his card.
Quite a feat
Baisoya, who had a second round of 68 to be tied seventh at 11-under-133, became only the fourth player on the PGTI to make three eagles in a single round. The three players who to have previously done so are two-time Indian Open champion Ali Sher, Veer Ahlawat and Yashas Chandra.
Interestingly, Ahlawat also achieved the feat at Golmuri during the 16th Tata Open in 2017.
India star Jyoti Randhawa (65) and PGTI Order of Merit leader Rashid Khan (70), were tied 12th on matching 10-under-134s while Jeev Milkha Singh (69) was a further shot behind in tied 19th.
Bengaluru’s Chikkarangappa S, currently second in the PGTI’s money list, shot a 67 in round two to be placed tied 28th at six-under-138.
Also read: Elite field gathers for PGTI Tata Steel Tour C’ship in Jamshedpur
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