Shaurya Bhattacharya keeps his lead intact in J&K Open

Shaurya Bhattacharya - TheGolfingHub
Shaurya Bhattacharya made the most of practice at the Jammu Tawi Golf Course prior to the J&K Open. Photo: PGTI

Rookie Shaurya Bhattacharya carded a spirited three-under 69 to maintain his lead in Round Two of the J&K Open 2024 presented by J&K Tourism at the Jammu Tawi Golf Course.

Related: Delhi boys Sachin, Shaurya make a headstart in Jammu

The 21-year-old Shaurya (67-69), the overnight joint leader, made five birdies and two bogeys on Thursday to emerge sole leader at a total of eight-under 136.

Sachin Baisoya (67-70) produced a bogey-free two-under 70 to be placed second at seven-under 137.

The cut was declared at five-over 149. Fifty-five professionals made the cut.

 

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Shaurya capitalized on the two par-5s on the front-nine by picking up birdies there. He also made a four-feet birdie conversion on the fifth. He went through a little slump when he bogeyed the 10th and 11th after missing the greens and chip-putts on those holes. However, he enjoyed a late surge with birdies on the 17th and 18th that included a 15-feet conversion to close the day on top of the leaderboard.

 

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Shaurya said, “My ball-striking has been top-notch on the first two days and I’ve seized the opportunities on the greens. Importantly, after bogeys on the 10th and 11th, I came back well towards the end to close the day on a positive note. I came to practice here at JTGC one month back for the first time and that experience has really helped me.”

Sachin, the overnight joint leader along with Shaurya, returned a steady 70 that featured two birdies and 16 pars that kept him in touch with the lead. Baisoya kept the errors out with several brilliant par-saves from a range of eight to 10 feet.

Akshay Sharma (70) and Mohd Azhar (69) were tied third at six-under 138.