Telangana Golconda Masters: Vishesh Sharma and Amardeep Malik share lead halfway

Hyderabad, Sep 2 (IANS) Local favourite Vishesh Sharma and Noida’s Amardeep Malik moved into a share of the halfway lead at 14-under 126 after the second round of the INR 1 crore Telangana Golconda Masters at the Hyderabad Golf Association course in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old Vishesh (60-66), who matched the course record with an opening 10-under 60, followed it with a four-under 66 containing six birdies and two bogeys. The two nines presented a sharp contrast for the Hyderabad golfer.

Starting from the 10th, 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 and one stroke behind overnight co-leaders Vishesh and Dhruv Sheoran, made six birdies against a solitary bogey on the par-five 17th for a five-under 65.

The 41-year-old, a two-time winner on the DP World PGTI, reached the top despite feeling that he had not struck the ball as consistently as he did during his opening 61. Sheoran (60-67) slipped one spot to third at 13-under 127. The Gurugram golfer mixed six birdies with a bogey on the par-five eighth and a double bogey on the par-four 18th, his final hole of the day, in a three-under 67.

Delhi’s Honey Baisoya (64-64) produced a second successive six-under 64, making seven birdies and one bogey to climb from tied fifth to fourth at 12-under 128.

Bangladesh’s Md Akbar Hossain (67-66) and Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema (66-67), a four-time winner on the DP World PGTI, shared fifth place at seven-under 133. 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. “Playing at my home course gives me a slight advantage because I know the better places to miss,” Vishesh said. “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 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. On the second, he drove the green into the headwind 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. His seven-under 63 lifted him into a share of 12th place at five-under 135.

Defending champion Jamal Hossain (72-66) of Bangladesh climbed from tied 72nd to tied 24th at two-under 138. Current DP World PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar (70-67) moved from tied 50th to tied 17th at three-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.

The Race to India Championship is a competition to crown the DP World PGTI’s number one player, and this competition will also determine the top-24 players from the PGTI Order of Merit who will earn their spots at the season-ending DP World India Championship.

–IANS

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