PGTI Players Championship: Shamim Khan and Arjun Sharma Take the Lead in Round two
PGTI Players Championship: Shamim Khan and Arjun Sharma Take the Lead in Round two: At the conclusion of the second round of the PGTI Players Championship 2022, which took place on Thursday, the veteran golfer Shamim Khan of Delhi and Greater Noida’s Arjun Sharma both turned in scores of three under par 69 to move into a tie for first place with a total of eight under par 136.
Khalin Joshi of Bengaluru shot a 68 and finished in second place with a score of 137 seven strokes under par.
Another golfer from Bengaluru, M. Dharma, was tied for fifth place with five under par 139 after shooting a 65 and matching the course record. Akshay Neranjen (70), who lives in the same city as Dharma and is making his professional debut this week, was tied for fifth place.
The score of 65 that was recorded by Shivendra Singh Sisodia of Gurugram also tied the course record that had been set in 2014 by Vikrant Chopra and Kapil Kumar.
Final pool
Sisodia finished in a tie for seventh place with Abhijit Singh Chadha and Harendra Gupta of Chandigarh, as well as Trishul Chinnappa of Bengaluru, all three players having a score of four under 140. The number of players who made the cut was announced to be 148. The final pool consisted of sixty experienced individuals.
The two-time winner of the PGTI Order of Merit Shamim Khan (67-69) got off to a slow start on the back-nine by making a birdie and a bogey on his first two holes.
However, after the turn, Khan was on a roll as he made three consecutive birdies on the fourth, fifth, and sixth holes, including a convert from 15 feet out on the fourth hole. After that, he had another bogey and then a birdie, which put him on top of the leaderboard at the end of the day.
Statements
“When you play after a three-month break and are still in the lead, it’s always beneficial for your confidence. When contrast to the previous day, the wind was significantly less strong today. Although my back nine wasn’t very good, I was able to make up for it on the front nine. I was able to maintain my rhythm thanks to this round “explained Shamim.
The 29-year-old Arjun Sharma (67-69), who had been struggling for form throughout the first half of the 2022 season, followed up his error-free 67 from round one with yet another outstanding performance to move up one spot from his overnight tied the second position, which he shared with the co-leader Shamim.
Arjun started the round with a bogey on the second hole, but he battled back with an eagle conversion from four feet away on the third hole and birdies on the fourth and ninth holes to make the turn at three under par. Sharma then made two birdies and two bogeys each on the back-nine of the course in addition to two excellent pars in order to keep himself in contention.
“I shot five under during the morning session on day one when the weather was gentler, but my score of three under today was better because it was a struggle due to the highly windy conditions that prevailed throughout the afternoon session.” I dealt with the conditions effectively and maintained my composure, “added Arjun.
As a result of my two bogeys on the back nine, the game was a little bit difficult for me. Therefore, making a birdie on the final hole was a significant confidence-booster for me, “he added.
After getting off to sluggish starts on day one, M. Dharma (74-65) and Shivendra Singh Sisodia (75-65) fought their way back into contention by setting a new day two record with a score of 65.
On a day in which he shot a bogey-free round, Dharma struck 17 greens in regulation and missed only two fairways, propelling him up the leaderboard by a staggering 50 positions. During his round, which included nine birdies and two bogeys, Sisodia made some incredible recoveries and drove the ball to perfection on multiple occasions.
Thursday was a good day for Shivendra, as he moved up 62 positions. The defending champion, K. Prabagaran of Sri Lanka, as well as all four golfers from Coimbatore, one of whom is a professional and the other three of whom, are amateurs, failed to make the cut.