Yuvraj takes 2-shot lead in second round at Karnal

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 22

Chandigarh’s Yuvraj Singh Sandhu produced a hard-fought 2-under 60 to take a two-shot lead in the second round of the TATA Steel PGTI Feeder Tour 2019 in Karnal today.

The 22-year-old rookie emerged as the top contender going into the final round with a two-day total of 7-under 117. Sandhu’s nearest challenger is Delhi’s Dhruv Sheoran (56-63) who was placed second at 5-under 119.

As a result of heavy rain, a day prior to the event, the 14th and 15th holes at the Madhuban Meadows Golf Course, both par-4s, have been rendered unplayable for the whole tournament, thus all three rounds will feature 16 holes each with the par for the course being 62.

The half-way cut went at 5-over 129, and 36 professionals and one amateur made it to the third and final round.

Sandhu, lying overnight second and one off the lead, raised his hopes for a maiden as he traded an eagle and a birdie with a solitary bogey on Thursday.

Sandhu had a slow start as he made a three-putt for bogey on his opening hole, the 10th. He then struggled to score as the putts didn’t roll in for him on the back-nine. His big breakthrough came on the par-4 4th where he chipped-in from 20 yards for an eagle-two. On the next hole, his tee shot was plugged in the bunker, but he managed to make a good up and down there for an outstanding par-save.  

The city golfer missed 10-footers for birdie on the 7th and 8th but made up with an exquisite chip on the 9th that set up a tap-in birdie. He narrowly missed a second eagle on the 9th where his chip lipped-out.

“My driving, approach shots and chipping were all pretty sharp today but my putts just didn’t find the hole. I’ve hit it close on both days and today most of my putts were within 15 feet. But I didn’t convert any of those chances,” said Sandhu, who was tied fourth at the last Feeder Tour event in Faridabad.

“This is a feel-based course. So I feel I have the momentum going into the last round. I’ll look to stick to my pre-shot routine and improve on my putting,” he added.

Overnight leader Dhruv Sheoran slipped to second position after shooting a 1-over 63 that featured four birdies, two bogeys and a triple-bogey.

Lucknow’s Rishi Kumar returned a second straight 2-under 60 to be placed third at 4-under 120, while Mumbai’s Anil Bajrang Mane (60) was in tied 8th at 1-under 123.

Karnal golfers, professional Mani Ram (62) ended the day in tied 12th at par-124 while Ritesh Kumar (67), the lone amateur in the field, was tied 34th at 5-over 129.

Suryadeep Lather, another Karnal-based professional, missed the cut as he totaled an 18-over 142 in the first two rounds.