Bengaluru's Khalin Joshi carded a scintillating seven-under 65 to storm into the clubhouse lead after the second round of the PGTI Players Championship being played at the Classic Golf & Country Club here today.
Joshi totaled 11-under-133 at the halfway stage, while Delhi's Chiragh Kumar too produced a 65 to finish the day in second position at nine-under 135, two off the pace.
Joshi (68-65), one of the most consistent golfers in the current PGTI season with four top-7 finishes from four starts, emerged as a major title contender at the PGTI Players Championship today after he notched up eight birdies against a lone bogey in his second round to move up four places from his overnight tied fifth.
Joshi, who last won on the PGTI in early 2015, converted at will from four to six feet for his seven birdies on the first 15 holes. Khalin finally ended the day with a great recovery from the trees on the ninth where he landed his third shot for a tap-in birdie.
Chiragh (70-65) shot the day's best score of 65 along with Khalin to take a giant leap from overnight tied 21st to second place. The reigning Panasonic Open India champion had a bogey-free day as he sank an eagle and five birdies.
Delhi's Rashid Khan, the winner in Noida last week, posted yet another brilliant score of 67 to make his way to tied third place at eight-under-136 from his overnight tied 11th. His round featured four straight birdies from the 18th to the third.
Chandigarh's Sujjan Singh, lying overnight tied second, stayed in contention with a steady 70 that placed him in joint third along with Rashid.
Fifth place was shared between round one leader Aman Raj (72) of Patna, Bengaluru's Chikkarangappa (68) and Mukesh Kumar of Mhow (69) at seven-under-137.
The cut fell at two-over-146. Fifty-one professionals and one amateur made the cut.
