Gurgaon’s Veer Ahlawat on his way into a three-shot lead after day two of the Cidco Open at the Kharghar Valley Golf Course in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. Image courtesy PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Overnight leader Veer Ahlawat held a three-shot advantage over the field after day two of the inaugural Cidco Open at the Kharghar Valley Golf Course in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.
Ahlawat shot a second straight 6 under par 65 at the Rs 1 crore event presented by Larsen & Toubro, the PGTI said.
The 2024 PGTI Order of Merit champion Ahlawat matched his course record from round one to total 12-under 130 at the halfway stage and extended his overnight lead by a shot.
Italy’s Michele Ortolani (67-66) brought in a bogey-free 5 under 66 to improve from tied second overnight to lone second on 9 under 133.
Koichiro Sato (67-68) of the US was third on 7 under 135 as 51 professionals made the cut that fell at 4 over 146.
On Wednesday, Gurgaon’s Ahlawat put together seven birdies and a bogey with some quality driving for a second day in succession, making birdies on all the four par-5 holes.
He also converted a 20-footer and set up two tap-ins for birdies.
On point
“I hit a lot of good tee shots and approaches and I’ve been executing my plans well,” Ahlawat said.
“I capitalised on the par-5s and the shorter par-4s today. I’ve been in a good rhythm since round one and continued that momentum today.
“Playing in the morning session today, I felt the course played a little longer in the morning due to the slightly colder weather.
“However, there was no wind today so that created more scoring opportunities. I made a great par-save from a tough position on the 18th that helped me end my round on a positive note.”
Past PGTI merit winner Manu Gandas (68-68) and Divyanshu Bajaj (71-66) were sole fourth and fifth.
Also read: Ahlawat holds two-shot lead on day one of inaugural Cidco Open
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