Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 24: Delhi-based 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 being played at the Jammu Tawi Golf Course (JTGC) 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), another Delhi golfer, 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.
Shaurya Bhattacharya 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. Bhattacharya 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.
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 Baisoya, 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. Chandigarh’s Akshay Sharma (70) and Hyderabad’s Mohd Azhar (69) were tied third at six-under 138.
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