Kolar (Karnataka) [India], August 20 (ANI): Shaurya Bhattacharya shot a five-under 67 to extend his lead to three strokes at nine-under 135 on day two of the second edition of the Rs 1 crore Kolar Open, played on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
The 23-year-old from Delhi, a two-time winner on the DP World PGTI and currently 16th in the season rankings, began the day with a one-shot advantage. He made six birdies against a lone bogey to strengthen his position at the top of the leaderboard, according to a press release from PGTI.
Starting from the 10th tee, Bhattacharya dropped his only shot of the day on the par-four 12th and remained one-over for his round through seven holes. However, he remained confident because of the quality of his ball-striking.
"I made a slow start and was one-over through seven holes, but I knew I was hitting good shots," said Bhattacharya.
His patience was rewarded on the 17th, where a well-struck drive set up the first of five consecutive birdies. Bhattacharya continued his run through the 18th, first, second and third holes to take control of the tournament.
"I struck a very good drive on the 17th and converted the opportunity, which started the run," he said. "I kept giving myself good looks over the next few holes and managed to take advantage."
Bhattacharya added one more birdie and did not drop another shot as he followed his opening 68 with the best round of the day.
Hyderabad's Mohd Azhar (70-68), who began the day tied fifth, climbed to second place at six-under 138. Azhar mixed six birdies with two bogeys in a four-under 68 to emerge as Bhattacharya's nearest challenger.
Greater Noida's Arjun Sharma (69-72), Chandigarh's Angad Cheema (73-68) and Bangladesh's Badal Hossain (69-72) shared third place at three-under 141.
The wind strengthened during the second round, forcing players to control their ball flight on the exposed 7,330-yard layout. Bhattacharya felt his ability to adapt to the changing conditions played an important role.
"The conditions required me to manufacture shots and control the flight of the ball, particularly when playing into the wind," he said. "I thought I handled that well, found plenty of fairways and missed in the right places."
Bhattacharya finished runner-up to Kshitij Naveed Kaul by two shots in the inaugural edition last year and is once again well-placed heading into the weekend.
"I have good memories of this course despite coming up just short last year," he said. "I'm in a good position and looking forward to the last two rounds."
Current DP World PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar (72-71), who spent the summer competing on the HotelPlanner Tour, moved from tied 11th to tied ninth at one-under 143.
Talwar was joined by Panipat's Shubham Jaglan (70-73), who slipped four places from tied fifth after returning a one-over 73. Jaglan arrived in Bengaluru after securing his maiden professional title at last week's Coal India Open in Kolkata.
Defending champion Kshitij Naveed Kaul (73-75) of Delhi slipped from tied 15th to tied 22nd at four-over 148.
Only 12 players from the field of 132 finished the opening 36 holes at even par or better, underlining the challenge presented by the par-72 layout.
The cut fell at eight-over 152, with 51 players advancing to the final two rounds. (ANI)
Shaurya Bhattacharya extends his lead at halfway stage at Kolar Open
