It was spotting rabbits around the Army Golf Club that first gave Ankur Chadha reason to spend time at the golf course. But having put himself in the glare of the headlights in facing off against the top amateurs of the country, the teenager, one week shy of turning 15, was anything but blinded by it.

Having made it through the qualifying round to his first amateur circuit tournament, Chadha played one of the rounds of the day to leap to a tie for the lead at the LG Northern India championship on Wednesday. His four-under 68, that eclipsed the second round score of everyone but defending champion Rashid Khan (68), has put Chadha in the third day’s leadergroup.

“I was really happy with the way I played today, sinking a 40-foot putt on the fifth hole, and then making birdie on the ninth where I stuck my 4-iron ten feet from the pin,” Chadha said.

He will share the honour of teeing off last along with Rashid and Rahul Bajaj, who was the only player to manage an under par round on the second day, a one-under 71.

The blinkers did seem to come on for a bit while he was asked about it, but didn’t last long enough. “It is a bit unexpected. I’m quite surprised to be one of the leaders,” Chadha said. “I have played with Rashid before on the junior circuit, though it’s the first time I’ll have Rahul in the same group. But I’m not really nervous. It would be fun.”

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