Spurred on by hole-in-one Mukesh marches ahead

Mukesh Kumar: Round One Leader

Chandigarh, February 20, 2013: Spurred on by a hole-in-one on the 11th, ‘King of the Indian greens’ Mukesh Kumar marched ahead into a four-stroke lead at the PGTI Players Championship at Chandigarh Golf Club. The man from Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, carded a second straight 67 to take his two-day total to 10-under-134. Chandigarh’s Harendra Gupta and Kapurthala-based rookie Ashbeer Saini were in joint second at six-under-138.

The 47-year-old Mukesh Kumar (67-67) picked up birdies on the fifth and sixth, courtesy conversion of putts from a range of 10 to 15 feet. He dropped a bogey on the seventh against the run of play but came roaring back with a 20-footer for birdie on the eighth.

A bogey on the 10th did not dampen Mukesh’s spirits as he fired a hole-in-one for eagle on the very next hole. There was no looking back for Mukesh from there on as he turned in two more birdies on the 16^th and 18th with the help of some outstanding approach shots.

Mukesh, who fired the third ace of his professional career on Wednesday, said, “I had the hole-in-one just at the right time. That moment helped me lift my game and I subsequently signed off with two birdies on the last three holes. My six-iron tee shot landed 15 feet short of the hole on the 11th before rolling in.”

He went on to add, “I didn’t hit it too well and missed some easy chip-putts in the first half of my round. I had some trouble gripping the clubs due to the cold weather in the morning and that affected my game. However, a four-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the tournament puts me in a very strong position.”

Defending champion and local lad Harendra Gupta (71-67) came up with a bogey-free 67 to be tied second at six-under-138 along with 19-year-old Ashbeer Saini (70-68), who recorded a brilliant 68 in round two.

Gupta said, “I converted my chances today and grabbed birdies on three out of four par-5 holes. I couldn’t have asked for a better score. It was an error-free day with five birdies and no bogey. I feel confident going into the last two rounds as this is my home course and I am the defending champion.”

Ashbeer, who made five birdies and a bogey on day two, said, “I had a fabulous round barring a couple of drives to the left. I hit it close, especially on the first where it stopped two feet short for birdie. I also holed a 40 feet birdie putt from the fringe of the green on the 11th. I’d like to make this dream start count with some good scores over the next two days.”

Delhi’s Shamim Khan occupied fourth place at five-under-139 after firing a 69 on Wednesday.

Chikkarangappa S of Bangalore shot the best score of the day, a six-under-66, to end the day in fifth position at four-under-140. The nineteen-year-old had an astounding eight birdies against two bogeys on day two to make a tremendous recovery in the tournament after posting an ordinary first round score of 74. ‘Chikka’ as he is referred to on the tour, thrived in the company of his close friends Rashid Khan and Rudresh Sharma, the other two players who made up his three-ball on the first two days.

“I started with a bogey on the first but came back strongly by converting as many as four birdie putts from a range of 12 to 20 feet. I also chipped-in for birdie from just off the green on the ninth.

“The fact that I was paired with two of my closest friends Rashid and Rudresh in the first two rounds helped me play with a relaxed frame of mind. Rashid and I have grown up playing together on the junior and amateur circuits and it was great to play alongside him after a gap of two years,” said Chikka, who has been one of the top amateur golfers
in the country over the last three years.

Round one joint leader Siddharth Seth slipped to tied 15th on day two after shooting a five-over-77. He totaled even-par-144 for the first two days. The cut fell at five-over-149. Fifty-two professionals made the cut.

Rookie ‘Chikka’ looks up to Anirban Lahiri

Rookie Chikkarangappa says he draws inspiration from India’s young golfing star Anirban Lahiri, who at the age of 25 has already made waves at the international level with two wins on the Asian Tour and a memorable Major debut at last year’s British Open. Chikkarangappa and Lahiri are both based in Bangalore and belong to the same golf course, the Eagleton Golf Resort outside Bangalore.

Chikka said, “Anirban is like an elder brother. We play rounds together when both of us are in Bangalore. He has often given me valuable tips and guided me as far as my game is concerned. Lahiri has advised me to be humble despite whatever I achieve on the course. I cherish every opportunity of interacting with a champion golfer like him.”

Press release