Sandhu takes the lead at Tata Open with a thrilling run in round two

Order of Merit champion Yuvraj Sandhu was back in a familiar spot at the head of the field on Friday after day two of the Tata Open in Jamshedpur. Image courtesy of PGTI.

By Rahul Banerji

Ranking champion Yuvraj Sandhu topped the leaderboard with a fiery 8-under-par 64 in the second round of the Tata Open in Jamshedpur on Friday.

The Rs 2 crore event to be played at Beldih and Golmuri golf courses is the end of the season.

Sandhu (67-64), playing at Beldih on Friday, had an 11-under 131 total at the half and led by three shots. He moved up seven places from a tie for eighth on the night, according to PGTI.

The six-time winner of this year’s PGTI has already won the PGTI Order of Merit crown and secured his spot on next year’s DP World Tour.

Sandhu is now chasing an unprecedented seventh title on the domestic tour.

Twenty-one-year-old Shubham Jaglan (68-66), playing his third PGTI event, returned a 4-under 66 in Golmuri to move into second place at 8-under 134.

The 36-hole cut dropped to 2 over 144, with 53 professionals making the money round.

Rare format

In the first round, half the field played 18 holes at Beldih Golf Club, while the other half did so at Golmuri Golf Club, the only event on the PGTI calendar to use this format.

In round two the order was reversed, and in rounds three and four the leading groups will play their first nine holes in Golmuri before moving to Beldih to play their second nine holes.

Sandhu, four shots behind overnight leaders Khalin Joshi and Veer Ahlawat, grabbed three straight shots on the front nine.

He then had a small mistake with a bogey on the 10th hole before making a birdie spree with six straight wins from 11 to 16.

Sandhu’s last nine birdies included two top-class up-and-downs, two long conversions from between 12 and 15 feet and two conversions from four feet.

Tight schedule

“I felt the effects of playing back-to-back weeks until the first round on Thursday,” Sandhu said.

“There was exhaustion. But today my body felt much better, I had more control over things and was able to swing freely. As a result, my ball striking was also significantly better.”

“Beldih was a bit windy today and I feel like I now thrive when the wind is up as I have played a lot in similar conditions in Asia. These conditions get the best out of me.”

Also read: Joshi and Ahlawat share day one Tata Open honors at Golmuri

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