Two-time international winner Rashid Khan led the pack at a total of six-under 138 at the end of round two of the Kapil Dev Grant Thornton Invitational 2023 at the DLF Golf & Country Club here on Friday.
The Delhi-based Rashid (68-70), a three-time PGTI Order of Merit champion, followed his first round of 68 with a steady 70 on Friday that saw him continue at the top of the leaderboard in the INR 2 crore prize-money event.
Gurugram’s Karan Pratap Singh (68-71), the joint first-round leader along with Rashid, slipped to tied second place after his 71 in round two took his total to five-under 139.
Sunhit Bishnoi (69-70), who had played his second round on Thursday, shared the second spot with Karan Pratap Singh.
Round two resumed at 9:30 am on Friday as there was a two-and-a-half-hour fog delay. Out of a total of 120 players, the 84 players who couldn’t complete their second round on Thursday, came out and completed their rounds on Friday.
As a result of the fog delay on the first two days, the tournament has been reduced to a 54-hole event and the third and final round will be played on Saturday.
The cut was declared at six over 150. Fifty-three professionals made it to the final money round. The professionals who made the cut will now be joined by amateurs in the last round where the Pro-Am Team Championship will be played alongside the main event. There will be two professionals and two amateurs in each group.
Rashid Khan, a 10th tee starter, began the day on a promising note with two long birdie conversions on the 10th and 13th. Khan dropped a couple of bogeys thereafter but negated the effect of those with birdies on two par-5s, the 18th and eighth, where he narrowly missed 10 to 12-foot eagle putts.
Mysuru’s Yashas Chandra M.S. (68), the gold medalist in the individual event at the recently concluded National Games, was placed fourth at four-under 140 after he carded a 68 which was the best score of round two.
PGTI Ranking leader Om Prakash Chouhan was tied 34th at five-over 149 while last year’s champion Varun Parikh was placed tied 46th at six-over 150.
Earlier in the day at 8:30 am, former cricketers including India’s Ajit Agarkar, Australia’s Micheal Bevan and New Zealand’s Ross Taylor teed off as part of two celebrity fourballs.
The others who teed off in the celebrity fourballs were Indian lady professionals Tvesa Malik and Vani Kapoor as well as tournament host Kapil Dev, Grant Thornton Bharat CEO, Vishesh Chandiok and Grant Thornton Bharat Senior Partner Deepankar Sanwalka. Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh also visited the course on Friday to watch the second round.
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