Ashbeer Saini of Kapurthala emerged as the clubhouse leader in round two of the J&K Bank PGTI Pahalgam Masters after returning a second consecutive five-under-65 at the Lidder Valley Golf Course here today.
Saini's total is 10-under-130 while Pune's Aditya Bhandarkar was in second place, one shot off the lead.
Round one, which could not be completed on Wednesday due to the rain interruption, was completed this morning by the remaining sixty players.
Sixty players had finished their second round by 4 pm while the remaining sixty-five players were still on the course and unlikely to finish their rounds on today.
Saini (65-65) sank six birdies and dropped a lone bogey in round two to emerge as a major contender. The 21-year-old, knocked down four birdies from a range of 10 to 30 feet in round two.
"I putted really well in both the rounds. I had to complete 24 holes today but didn't feel tired as I was playing well. The first two rounds have put me in a great position. I've been close to winning on several occasions in the past but now I feel that a win is just around the corner as my consistency has improved this year,"Saini said.
"There are a few challenges when you play in rain as the course plays longer and it becomes difficult to grip the club. One needs to adapt quickly in such a situation. I think I adapted well enough to post two good scores," he said.
