Bengaluru Open: Honey Baisoya takes sole lead

The 21-year-old Baisoya (13-under 131 overall) holds a three-stroke advantage over second-placed Udayan Mane. Overnight joint-leader Sujjan Singh (eight-under 136), affected by a bout of flu, slipped to third.

Baisoya, whose four professional titles has come in the last 12 months, dominated proceedings.

Honey Baisoya shot a spectacular eight-under 64 second round to take the sole lead in the Bengaluru Open Golf Championship, at KGA here on Thursday. Baisoya equalled the course record for a professional tournament, set by Amardip Sinh Malik in the 2010 BILT Open. On the amateur circuit, Khalin Joshi returned a 10-under card in the 2012 Southern India championship.

The 21-year-old Baisoya (13-under 131 overall) holds a three-stroke advantage over second-placed Udayan Mane. Overnight joint-leader Sujjan Singh (eight-under 136), affected by a bout of flu, slipped to third. Baisoya, whose four professional titles has come in the last 12 months, dominated proceedings. On the par-4 first hole, his tee shot fell just short of the green. He followed this up with a delightful chip which dropped into the hole, earning him an eagle.

The Delhi golfer also recorded seven birdies, and the lone bogey. “This is one of the best rounds of my career,” Baisoya, tied-second after the first round, said, “Even though Amardip and I were in the same group, I was not aware that I had tied his course record.” The experienced Jyoti Randhawa, the third member of the group, served as an inspiration. “Jyoti is my idol. I saw him win the 2006 and 2007 Hero Indian Open on my home course (Delhi Golf Club). It was great to play alongside him. He gave me little tips – to stick to my swing, and to work on my short game,” Baisoya said.

Randhawa (three-over 147), meanwhile, missed the cut. The morning session saw Udayan climb to the top of the leaderboard with a fine seven-under 65. The 26-year-old, second on the PGTI Order of Merit list, excelled in his putting game. Bengaluru lad S. Chikkarangappa delighted onlookers on the par-5 18th, when he sank a 105-yard chip. Chikkarangappa is seven strokes off the pace, in tied-ninth spot.

The scores (top-nine): 131: Honey Baisoya (67,64); 134: Udayan Mane (69,65); 136: Sujjan Singh (66,70); 137: Harendra Gupta (68,69), Abhijit Singh Chada (68,69), Himmat Rai (66,71), M. Dharma (67,70), Veer Ahlawat (67,70); 138: S. Chikkarangappa (66,72), Shamim Khan (66,72), Rahil Ganjee (70,68).