Golconda Masters: N Thangaraja takes lead; Angad, Danek, Saarthak tied at second after round two

Angad Cheema of Chandigarh struck a 63 while Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek produced a 65 and Delhi’s Saarthak Chhibber shot a 68 as the trio was tied second at nine-under 131.

Sri Lanka’s N Thangaraja in action. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Sri Lankan N Thangaraja fired an eight-under-par 62 in round two to take a commanding four-shot lead at 13-under 127 in the Golconda Masters at the Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA) on Friday.

Angad Cheema of Chandigarh struck a 63 while Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek produced a 65 and Delhi’s Saarthak Chhibber shot a 68 as the trio was tied second at nine-under 131.

In contrast to round one, it was largely a bright and sunny day. The cut came down at one-under 139. Fifty-one professionals made the cut. N Thangaraja (65-62), a four-time winner on the PGTI, who was tied sixth and two off the lead after round one, skyrocketed to the top of the pack following a second straight error-free round that featured two eagles and four birdies.

The 43-year-old golfer who last won on the PGTI exactly one year back in Visakhapatnam, began the day with a flourish by making an eagle from four feet on the Par-5 10th. His excellent driving helped him set up his second eagle of the day as he drove the green on the Par-4 14th to leave himself a seven-footer which he eventually converted.

After his inspiring start, the Sri Lankan continued his upward graph thanks to his good hitting form as he collected four more birdies on the 17th, 18th, second and sixth where all his birdie putts were within three feet of the flag.

Previously in round one, he had made a quiet start with pars all the way on the front-nine. He then broke loose with a 40-feet eagle conversion and three birdies on the back-nine.

“I’m delighted with my ball-striking. I made 14 greens in regulation today and was equally good with my driver and irons on day one. It’s great to have made three eagles just halfway through the tournament. I’ve had a great time on the back-nine on both days having done the bulk of my scoring there,” said Thangaraja.

“I’m quite confident going into the weekend as I’ve always played well here at HGA. I have a number of top-10s at this venue and have even been involved in a playoff here. The course layout suits my game as I draw the ball a lot,” he added.

“Over the last one month, I worked hard on my putting since I was missing a lot of short putts in the PGTI events in August. As a result, my putting is also sharper this week,” concluded the 43-year-old.

Angad Cheema’s superb 63 that featured an eagle, seven birdies and two bogeys, saw him jump 33 spots to tied second. Stepan Danek’s flawless 65 helped him climb nine spots into joint second. Stepan enjoyed a fruitful day with the putter making three long birdie conversions including a 30-footer.

Saarthak Chhibber, the overnight joint leader, fired a 68 on Friday to slip one spot to tied second. TATA Steel PGTI Ranking leader Veer Ahlawat returned a 66 to occupy tied fifth place at eight-under 132.

Hyderabad-based professional Mohd Azhar (69) was the only local golfer to make the cut. He ended the second day in tied 39th at two-under 138.