Bhullar showers birdies on rainy day

Not for nothing is Gaganjeet Bhullar considered one of the most exciting young pros on the domestic circuit.

Not for nothing is Gaganjeet Bhullar considered one of the most exciting young pros on the domestic circuit. On a rain-marred day, the big-hitting golfer was in his element as he set the par-72 Golden Greens ablaze with a blistering nine-under 63 8212; his best round as a professional.

Conditions were hardly ideal, windy with an intermittent drizzle, but it wasn8217;t an issue for Bhullar, who showered the course with eagles and birdies 8212; two and six, respectively 8212; to break the course record en route to grabbing sole lead at the halfway mark of the AIS Open.

Bhullar, who shot two-under 70 on Wednesday, now totals 11-under 133, a lead of one stroke over Rahul Ganapathy, who carded his second successive 67.

A tenth-tee starter, Bhullar made four consecutive pars before sinking birdies on the 14th and 16th. The 20-year-old then made his first and only bogey on the 17th, followed by an eagle on the par-five 18th, where he landed his second shot seven feet away.

After the turn, there was no looking back. He began with a birdie on the first and sank another eagle on the second. Three more birdies followed on the fourth, seventh and ninth.

8220;I am really thrilled with my effort today,8221; he said. 8220;It was a mixture of good hitting and putting. I think I was also a little lucky with my putting today as everything was falling in,8221; Bhullar said.

Ganapathy, who played in the same three-ball as Bhullar on Thursday, took his total to 10-under 134. The Mysore lad started with a birdie on the 10th and then knocked down another birdie on the 13th to make the turn at two-under. He then hit a purple patch with three consecutive birdies on the first, second and third. Ganapathy bogeyed the eighth and picked up a birdie on the ninth to finish with five under for the day.

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The cut was applied at six-over 150. Fifty-six players made it to the next two rounds.

Leaderboard

1 Gaganjeet Bhullar 133 70, 63

2 Rahul Ganapathy 134 67, 67

3 Feroze Ali 136 68, 68

4 Digvijay Singh 137 68, 69

5 Uttam Singh Mundy 138 71, 67

6 Ashok Kumar 139 68, 71

7 Raj Randhawa 140 72, 68

8 Gaurav Diwan 141 69, 72, Vikrant Chopra 141 70, 71

10 Harendra P Gupta 142 70, 72, Mukesh Kumar 142 70, 72