Gaganjeet Bhullar’s two straight bogeys starting out his back nine at the DLF Masters on Friday had him staring at a likely collapse. But the 21-year-old, now in his evolved version, hit back with a run of three birdies to put the life back into his round, finally finishing the second day in a one-shot lead. His repeat four-under 68 gives him a total of eight-under 136.

Digvijay Singh relied on home-course confidence and some self-confessed luck to inch up to second place. Jyoti Randhawa had started his title defence slowly, but he was back in two-time champion form with a 68 that had him jumping up the scoreboard to the tied third spot, joining Ashok Kumar and Rahil Gangjee, who kept up their consistent play, and Shamim Khan, at five-under 139.

After Om Prakash Chouhan came back with a three-over 75 to fall off his overnight leader's perch early in the day, it had looked like Bhullar would start his second round in the lead. But Shamim, who had made himself famous in a slightly different setting at this course last year by taking the opening day honours at the European Tour’s Johnnie Walker Classic, had other ideas. With a six-birdie round, the 31-year-old grabbed the clubhouse lead in the morning. The best round of the day was based on inch-perfect iron play and two huge putts, including a 35-footer on the par-five sixth.

Bhullar has begun with a bogey again, messing up his three-foot par putt on the 12th. He then quickly picked up three birdies with some composed putting. The two bogeys as soon as he made the turn, both coming off after some shoddy approach shots, had sent him back to even par for the day before that late burst of inspiration. He chipped in from 15 yards on the fifth hole, missed a ten-foot eagle putt on the sixth, and sank two seven-footers on the seventh and the finishing ninth.

... contd.