Patna-based golfer Aman Raj leads the Indian Golf Premier League (IGPL) tournament with a commanding four-shot in the second-round, at the Chandigarh Golf Club on Thursday.
He shot a blistering 8-under 64 in the second round to move to an overall 11-under par, as he hit 69 in his opening round .
The golfer finished at runners-up in the last season’s order of merit and secured two victories despite battling injuries. Reflecting on his performance Raj said, “I started with a duff on the first hole but still birdied it, although I had some trouble off the tee, but my short game was superb and that carried me through the round.” He added, “I just need to stay consistent and adjust where needed. Today was one of the good days and I hope to have more like this.”
Despite enjoying a healthy lead, the golfer remained wary of the chasing pack, especially Chandigarh’s Gaganjeet Bhullar, India’s most successful golfer on the Asian Tour with 11 titles.
Bhullar, who carded a bogey-free 68 in the opening round, followed it with a 1-under 71 to sit four shots behind at 7-under. Bhullar said: “I had several birdie chances over the last two days but didn’t convert many. That’s something I need to work on.”
IGPL debutant Varun Parikh also climbed to third place at 6-under after rounds of 71 and 67. The leaderboard remains tightly packed behind the leader, with four players tied fourth at 5-under, including Kapil Kumar, local veteran Ranjit Singh, Indian-AmericanManav Shah and defending order of merit champion Pukhraj Singh Gill.
With a possibility of low scores, the tournament remains wide open ahead.
