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Tribune News Service
Panchkula, May 8
City lad Angad Cheema scored a second successive 67 to jump to sole lead on the second day of the Tata Steel PGTI Players Championship at the Panchkula Golf Club here on Wednesday.
Cheema was followed by Yuvraj Singh Sandhu in second place with a total of 8-under 136. The rookie from Chandigarh shot the day’s best score of 7-under 65 to gain 22 places in the second round.
Cheema, lying one shot behind leader Rashid Khan in joint second place at the end of the opening round, started the day with a 40-feet eagle putt from the edge of the green on the par-4 first hole.
A bogey on the fourth didn’t dampen his spirits as he picked up birdies on the next three holes and added two more on the 11th and 12th holes.
The 29-year-old hit rough weather on the 15th and 16th hole where he dropped a double-bogey and a bogey respectively.
On the 15th, he found the bunker and then the hazard while on the 16th hole his tee shot landed at the base of a tree. Cheema, however, managed to pull back on the last two holes by setting up birdie putts within four feet of the pin.
“I struck it well and also made most putts today. Looking back, I feel that I made just one big mistake on the 15th hole, where I had a chance for a birdie. But I am glad to have closed the round on a high. I know the course well as I play here often. So, that definitely will be an advantage over the last two days,” Cheema said after the day’s play.
“I had a tied sixth finish at the last PGTI event in April so I feel I can now put four good rounds together and sustain the intensity through a tournament. I feel the positive energy in my game once again. I will need to be precise with my hitting over the next two days as a few yards here and there could be very punishing on this course,” Cheema added.
Sandhu (71-65), meanwhile, fired the best round of the tournament so far and as a result gained 22 spots from his overnight tied 24th. He had a nervous start making a bogey on the opening 10th hole.
The 22-year-old though was on a roll thereafter as he knocked in nine birdies at the expense of just one bogey.
Sandhu, who was India’s No. 1 amateur in 2016, made some top-class chip-putts and landed his approach shots within a couple of feet of the flag on the 16th and the ninth. His approach shot from 70 yards lipped out on the 16th.
Rashid Khan of Delhi, the round one leader, slipped to tied third at 7-under 137 after a round of 71. Mukesh Kumar (67) of Mhow too took a share of the third. He gained 14 places from his overnight tied 17th. Jyoti Randhawa was tied 26th at even-par 144 after he shot a second straight 72.
Defending champion N Thangaraja (70) of Sri Lanka was also in tied 26th. The cut went at 2-over 146 and a total of 58 professionals made the cut.
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