The cut was declared at five-over-149. Fifty-two
professionals and one amateur made the cut.
Abhishek Jha, lying third after round one, started day two
on a positive note with birdie conversions from 10 to 12 feet on the first and
fourth. The highlight of Abhishek’s round was the eagle on the par-5 seventh
where he hit the green in two before sinking a 12-footer. The 27-year-old
capitalized on the par-5 10th with another birdie. Jha got himself out of
trouble on the 17th with a terrific low approach shot through the trees.
The shot landed six feet from the cup and earned him his final birdie of the
day.
Jha, the 2010 PGTI Emerging Player of the Year, said, “I’ve
enjoyed good starts in the first two rounds and that’s helped my cause. The
eagle on the seventh lifted my game and the birdie on the 17th was
special. I recovered really well on the 17th after a poor drive.
Abhishek, yet to win a title on the PGTI, added, “My target
coming into this week was to make the cut. But I have reset my plans now. My
approach has been to play smart and apply myself on the course. I feel I have
the game but I have not always applied myself enough. The idea is to stay
level-headed on the course. This is the first time I’m leading an event going into
the last two days. I’ll look to grab all opportunities that come my way.”
Swede Nils Floren, who was overnight tied 24th, moved up to
second on Thursday after an incredible round of 62 that featured an eagle and
eight birdies. Floren, playing his first full season on the Asian Development
Tour, holed his second shot from 128 yards on the sixth for an astonishing
eagle. The 25-year-old, a resident of Hua Hin in Thailand for the last three years,
capitalized on all four par-5s – 10th, 15th, fourth and seventh – with birdies.
He tapped-in on all four occasions.
Nils, whose best result has been a runner-up finish at an
ADT event in Taiwan
this year, also converted 15 to 18 feet birdie putts on the 14th, 18th and
third.
An excited Floren said, “It’s like a dream round for me. My
putting was excellent and I made all the par-5s count. The eagle was
unbelievable as I saw the ball go straight to the green and then disappear. I
thought I had hit it over the green. But my caddie informed me that I had holed
it. However, I didn’t believe him till I actually saw it myself. I saw the
pitch-mark and realized that the ball had landed just eight inches short of the
hole.
“The birdie on the 18th was very satisfying as my swing
for the approach shot was restricted by a tree. Nonetheless, I played my
approach to perfection from 80 yards out and landed it on the green before
converting an 18-footer.
“I now have a good launch-pad for the last two days and will
look to carry the good form forward,” added Nils, who played in India during
the 2012 Asian Tour season.
Chikka’s second shot landed on top of a tree on the ninth
and the ball had to be retrieved by a fore-caddie. He thus took a penalty drop
and then fired his fourth shot over the green. The resulting triple-bogey was
the only blemish in Chikka’s second round effort.
“I’ll try to put this behind me and focus on the next two
days. There’s a lot of golf still to be played this week,” said Chikka.
Khalin Joshi, another Bangalore golfer, and Deepinder Singh
Kullar of Gurgaon, continued in joint fourth place as both followed up their
opening rounds of 67 with scores of 69 in round two. Joshi and Kullar had
totals of eight-under-136.
R Murthy is the sixth Bangalore
golfer in the top-10. He is placed tied 10th at five-under-139 along with Chandigarh ’s Ajeetesh Sandhu and Canada ’s
Lindsay Renolds.
Khalin: I feel I’m ready for the Asian Tour
A confident Khalin Joshi feels he is now ready for the Asian
Tour. He is keenly looking forward to the Asian Tour Qualifying School
Press release
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