Day two Indorama Ventures Open leader Udayan Mane in action at the Kalhaar Blues and Greens course in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Pune’s Udayan Mane, playing at his former home course, took a one-stroke lead after 36 holes of the Rs 2 crore Indorama Ventures Open at the Kalhaar Blues & Greens Golf Club in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
A former winner at the venue, Mane (69-65) carded the day’s joint lowest score of 7 under par 65 to total 10 under 134, gaining seven places from his overnight tied eighth place, the PGTI said.
Bangalore’s Khalin Joshi (70-65), another past winner at Kalhaar also had a 65 against his name to move up 12 spots into second place on 9 under 135 on the day.
Chandigarh players Ajeetesh Sandhu (67) and Yuvraj Sandhu (68) shared third place on 7 under 137.
Varun Parikh (68), the only Ahmedabad-based player to make the cut which came at 4 over 148, ended round two in tied 16th on 2 under 142 with 54 professionals making the final two rounds.
Mane had two birdies on the front nine and added six more on the back stretch, leaving himself birdie putts from within seven feet on all the holes except the 17th which he drained from 18 feet.
The Tokyo Olympian’s sole bogey came from a three-putt on the 18th.
“Kalhaar has been my home course for a couple of years and I’ve also won here before so I know this track well,” Mane said later.
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“However, I’ve never played Kalhaar with this much wind, so today’s round was special and added a spring in my step as I look forward to the weekend.
Smart golf
“I hit the ball well, made a lot of putts and importantly played smart. I was not overly aggressive on the par-5s as I chose to lay up on a couple of them.
“I’m proud of the way I handled myself in these tough conditions and hit the shots that I needed to.”
Joshi, who began the day from the back nine, had two birdies and an eagle between holes 11 and 14 to make the turn at four-under for the day.
He then added three more birdies on the second nine as he pin-hunted through the day.
“I think I was very calm today and more confident of my hitting and putting as compared to round one,” Joshi observed.
“During the Indian Open week, I went through a small swing change as I was working on my posture and ball position. I feel a lot more comfortable after making those changes.
“I’ve played well here at Kalhaar in the past, having also won here. It’s a ball-striker’s golf course and I enjoy playing here.
“The wind is always a big factor here and so is the length of the course and the challenges posed by the undulating greens as the pins can be tricky a lot of times. You need to trust your instincts here.”
Also read: Pukhraj Gill, Lohan share early lead at Indorama Ventures Open
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