Chandigarh, December 15
Round one leader Karandeep Kochhar (77) of Chandigarh slipped to tied 20th place at one-under 143, while Manu Gandas of Gurugram shot a 6-under 66 to claim top position on the second day of the SSP Chawrasia Invitational at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC).
Gandas, who is in sizzling form with five wins under his belt this season, claimed the top position at 9-under 135 after round two. Indian star Anirban Lahiri fired the day’s best score of 65 to be placed second at 8-under 136. Gurugram’s Veer Ahlawat struck a 67 to be on the third place at 6-under 138. Incidentally, the top three on the leaderboard, Gandas, Lahiri and Ahlawat, played together in the same group on the first two days. There was only one bogey among the three players on Day 2. The trio will be back playing together in round three as the leader group.
TATA Steel PGTI Rankings leader Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (70) of Chandigarh was tied-9th at 4-under 140. Sandhu currently enjoys a narrow lead over second-placed Gandas in the TATA Steel PGTI Rankings. Tournament host SSP Chawrasia (70) was tied 11th at 3-under 141 to be the highest placed among the Kolkata-based professionals. Ajeetesh Sandhu (70) and Gaganjeet Bhullar (72) were also tied 11th along with Chawrasia. The cut went at four-over 148.
Fifty-seven professionals made the cut. Gandas (69-66), lying overnight tied eighth, was off to a terrific start making five birdies between the 11th and the 16th where he rolled in long putts, including a 27-footer on the 16th. Manu added two more birdies and a bogey on the front nine. The highlight of his front-nine was an accurate approach from 177 yards on the third that left him a tap-in for birdie.
