National junior champion Viraj Madappa shot the best round of the second day to move up to joint lead at the midway stage of the Usha Karnataka Junior Golf today.
Madappa, who had a one-over 73 on first day, carded two-under 70 to get to one-under 143, the same as overnight leader, Pukhraj Gill (71) at the 7100-yard Eagleton Golf Club.
Madappa played steady golf and had two birdies on first and eight and parred the rest for his bogey-free 70, while Gill had two birdies on ninth and 13th and bogeyed the par-5 sixth.
Manu Gandas, winner of the Usha Delhi Juniors, the previous event on the circuit, had as many as give birdies, starting with two on the first two holes. But he also gave away three bogeys on fourth, ninth and 14th. Gandas has rounds of 74 and 70 and is now at even par 144. In the third Gandas birdied the first two
Piyush Sangwan (72) moved into fourth place at 145, while Raghu Bir Choudhary (77) is fifth at 150. Veer Ahlawat (73), Jairaj Sandhu (76) and Tapendra Ghai (77) share the sixth spot at 151.
In Category B, Arjun Prasad (75-76) led the field with at 151 while Tanvir Kahlon (77-78) was second.
