When it got here to ball-striking, S. Chikkarangaapa’s consistency was arduous to match. Playing with no driver, he reached all 18 greens in regulation for a bogey-free six-under 66. This sensible effort on Friday left him having fun with a three-stroke midway lead at 10-under 134 within the $750,000 DGC Open right here.
Surprisingly, this hard-working Bengaluru golfer took 30 putts – three greater than what he wanted throughout his first-round 68. It didn’t harm him as soon as in a single day chief Siddikur Rahman adopted his first-round 65 with a 73 and slipped to 6-under 138.
Rashid Khan and Om Prakash Chouhan had been a part of a five-man pack within the second spot at 137.
The ‘cut’ got here at two-over 146 and left 76 gamers, together with 24 Indians, for the weekend motion.
Starting the day within the joint-fifth spot, Chikkarangappa rode on the boldness of being a top-10 finisher in final week’s International Series in Thailand, after sharing the third-round lead with Siddikur following the third spherical.
Four birdies on the primary six holes confirmed Chikkarangappa in good type. After 10 successive pars, he signed off with two successive birdies.
The daylong cloud-cover additionally helped the golfers because the greens remained smooth and held on. “If the greens get firmer and if it’s sunny then it plays a lot more difficult. So I would say, luck was on my side with the weather,” stated the chief who confessed “not being a really big fan” of the Delhi Golf Club course.
Rashid may have held on to sole second spot had he not bogeyed the ultimate gap for a 70. His putter proved chilly as he discovered pars on the primary seven holes. Three birdies over the subsequent six holes, on both aspect of the flip, brightened his prospects. But two bogeys and a birdie on the final 4 holes slowed him down.
Compared to Thursday, Rashid’s driving distance and greens-in-regulation proportion improved however his putts – 32 as in comparison with his first-round 25 – prevented his card from wanting higher than Om Prakash Chouhan’s bogey-free 68.
The scores (Indians until acknowledged):
Second spherical: 134 – S. Chikkarangappa (68, 66); 137 – Rashid Khan (67, 70), Sadom Kaewkanjana (Tha) (70, 67), Nitihorn Thippong (Tha) (67, 70), Om Prakash Chouhan (69, 68), Matt Killen (Eng) (68, 69); 138 – Poom Saksansin (Tha) (72, 66), Siddikur Rahman (Ban) (65, 73), Justin Quiban (67, 71) and Chonlatit Chuenboonngam (Tha) 71, 67).
Other Indians who made the ‘cut’: 140 – Karandeep Kochhar (71, 69); 142 – Shamim Khan (72, 70). S. S. P. Chowrasia (72, 70); Jyoti Randhawa (73, 69); Karan Pratap Singh (75, 69) Sachin Baisoya (71, 72); 144 – Shiv Kapur (75, 69); Yashas Chandra (72, 72); 145 – Veer Ahlawat (70, 75); Ranjit Singh (70, 75), Yuvraj Singh (A) (69, 76); Angad Cheema (72, 73), Gagandeep Bhullar (74, 71), Honey Baisoya (71, 74), Kapil Kumar (73, 52); 146 – Abhijit Chadha (71, 75), Aryan Roopa Anand (71, 75), Manav Jaini (74, 72), Akshay Sharma (72, 74), Shaurya Bhattacharya (A) (71, 75) and Harshjeet Singh Sethie (74, 72).