Noida’s Amardeep Malik moved up from solo third into a share of the Telangana Golconda Masters lead at the HGA course in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
By Rahul Banerji
Overnight co-leader Vishesh Sharma and Amardeep Malik shared the halfway lead in the Rs 1 crore Telangana Golconda Masters at the Hyderabad Golf Association course on Wednesday.
Nineteen-year-old Vishesh, who matched the course record with an opening 10 under par 60, followed up with a 4 under 66 to total 14 under 126, the DP World PGTI said.
Either side of the HGA track were a study in contrast for the Hyderabad teenager. Starting from tee 10, Vishesh made the most of the course’s scoring stretch before encountering a more difficult run on the front nine.
Malik (61-65), who began the day alone in third one stroke behind overnight co-leaders Vishesh and Dhruv Sheoran, made six birdies against one bogey to climb into a share of top spot.
The 41-year-old from Noida, a two-time winner on the DP World PGTI, felt he had not struck the ball as consistently on Wednesday as he did during his opening 61.
Gurgaon’s Sheoran (60-67) slipped to third at 13 under 127, mixing six birdies with a bogey and a double, his final hole of the day that denied him a chance of holding the outright lead.
Delhi’s Honey Baisoya (64-64) made seven birdies against one dropped shot to climb from tied fifth to fourth at 12 under 128.
Md Akbar Hossain (67-66) of Bangladesh and Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema (66-67), shared fifth place on 7 under 133.
Quick return
Vishesh was satisfied with his score after returning early in the morning following a late finish to his opening round.
“I’m pleased with the round, although the two nines were quite contrasting,” he said. “I started well on the back nine and put together a run of birdies, but the front nine was more of a mixed bag.
“A few things could have gone better, but it was important to adapt quickly and settle into the round.”
Morning rain softened the fairways, while stronger winds and more demanding flag positions forced players to alter their approach.
“The course played very differently compared with yesterday,” Vishesh said.
“The fairways were much softer, the wind was considerably stronger, and the flags were tucked into more difficult areas. I had to adjust my strategy, aim for the correct sections of the greens and avoid chasing every flag.”
His knowledge of the course helped him identify safer misses, although he still left himself several difficult recovery shots.
Vishesh Sharma continued to make full use of his knowledge of the course to stay in a share of the Golconda Masters lead for a second straight day. Image courtesy DP World PGTI.
Home advantage
“Playing at my home course gives me a slight advantage because I know the better places to miss,” Vishesh pointed out.
“Today, however, I landed it in the wrong areas a few times and had to work hard on some up-and-downs.”
He identified the shorter par fours from the 12th through the 15th as the main scoring stretch, while describing the fourth, fifth and eighth as some of the course’s more demanding holes.
Malik was even more satisfied with his second-round 65 than his opening 61 because of the number of difficult situations he successfully negotiated.
“I didn’t strike the ball particularly well today,” Malik said. “There were stretches when I hit it nicely, but there were also moments when I left myself some challenging par saves.
“Fortunately, I managed to make the most of them, which is why I was actually happier with today’s round.”
Malik admitted that his opening score tempted him into playing more aggressively than the course demanded.
“After shooting a low number, the natural instinct is to attack again,” he said.
“But this isn’t a course you can overpower. You have to play intelligently, and I didn’t do that particularly well in a few places.”
Two birdies stood out for Malik.
Into the wind
On the second, he drove the green into the wind for the first time at this venue and two-putted. He then birdied the difficult 18th after hitting a drive and pitching wedge to eight feet.
“Reaching the second green showed that the work I put in during the summer has helped,” Malik said. “The birdie on the 18th was also satisfying because it is a tough hole playing into the wind.”
Panchkula’s 15-year-old Arjunveer Shishir (72-63) became the youngest player to make the cut on the DP World PGTI with a 7 under 63 that gave him a share of 12th place on 5 under 135.
Defending champion Jamal Hossain (72-66) of Bangladesh climbed from tied 72nd to tied 24th at 2 under 138 while rankings leader Saptak Talwar (70-67) moved from T50 to T17 at 3 under 137.
The round also produced a first in DP World PGTI history, with three holes-in-one recorded on the same day.
Abhinav Lohan and Anshul Kabthiyal both aced the par-three 11th, while Harman Sachdeva made his hole-in-one on the par-three seventh.
The cut fell at one-over 141, with 59 players from the field of 132 advancing to the final two rounds.
Also read: Vishesh, Sheoran share opening day lead at Golconda Masters
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