Overnight leader Kapil Kumar maintained his lead on Day 2 with his overall score reading 11-under 121 as Round 2 of the Pune Open was suspended due to lightning and thunderstorm on Thursday.
Pune has been experiencing heavy rains for the last few days which resulted in waterlogging on some stretches at the Poona Club Golf Course. As a result, Hole No. 5 was reduced from a Par-4 to a Par-3 and Hole No. 6 was not played in Round 2. Therefore, just like Round 1, 17 holes constituted Round 2 and the par for the course was 66 instead of the regular 71.
Related: Soggy conditions no deterrent for Kapil Kumar’s intensity
Given the suspension of Round 2 due to lightning and thunderstorm late in the evening, the tournament committee decided to resume Round 2 from 7 AM on Friday. The cut will be announced after the completion of Round 2 on Friday morning. As per the tournament committee, Round 3 will not begin before 9 AM on Friday. The 27 golfers yet to complete Round 2, will resume their incomplete rounds from 7 AM on Friday.
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Veer Ahlawat with the day’s best round of seven-under 59 is placed second in the clubhouse with an overall score of 10-under 122 while M Dharma is placed third in the clubhouse with an overall score of nine-under 123. Sri Lankan N Thangaraja is placed fourth in the clubhouse with an overall score of eight-under 124.
Kapil, who started from the back-nine, continued with his overnight momentum producing a second straight bogey-free round that consisted of birdies on the 12th, 15th, 17th and third holes. Kapil was solid through the day as he hit 15 greens in regulation and all fairways except one. He sank a 15-footer on the 17th and set up a tap-in birdie with a great wedge shot on the third.
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“I am happy with my driving and chipping. I found most fairways and greens and that’s what helped me keep the errors out. In 2011, I finished as a runner-up on this course and remembering that and how I played then, helped me further in planning my round today,” said 30-year-old Kapil after his round.
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Veer was on fire as he carded the day’s best score of seven-under 59. Now placed second in the clubhouse with an overall score of 10-under 122, Veer climbed up the leaderboard with another bogey-free effort as he consistently landed it within five feet of the flag throughout the day.
