Chapchai, Chang lead; Indians slip

With the group ahead taking unusually long, colourful character Simon Hurd chose the right time...

With the group ahead taking unusually long, colourful character Simon Hurd chose the right time to make a little joke. The guffaws that Scott Strange and Gaurav Ghei broke into at the eighth tee box seemed to be just what the doctor ordered for the Indian.

His first round bubble seemingly burst, the 39-year-old was already staring at the two-over mark for the day then, the culprit on most occasions being the deviant tee shot. Then suddenly, on that par-five eighth, the first shot landed perfectly in the middle of the fairway, and even the second shot into the bunker right to the green left him unruffled. Chipping to about a foot short from the pin, as the putt dunked into the hole, Ghei finally had a circle on his day’s card, his first birdie.

By the time the return journey was complete, however, the frown was back. On a now-bright-now-dull day for him, the overnight joint leader finished one-over 73. That puts him way down into shared eighth place, with aggregate five-under.

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Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat and Chinese Taipei’s Chang Tse-peng share the lead at the halfway mark, both 11-over. Chang shot a stunning 7-under today for the field’s best round.

Australian David Gleeson is a shot behind, while the best Indian is now the Delhi Golf Club old-hand Shamim Khan. Khan has been the most consistent of the domestic lot these two days, with a three-under today after a four-under first round.

The bad day for the top Indians also saw Gurbaaz Mann, also co-leader yesterday, tumble to 24th place. He shot four-over, the return journey killing his attempts at any sort of revival. A double bogey and three straight bogeys in those last nine holes overshadowed the eagle he had on the eighth, as he kept leaving his putts short time and again. Also falling was domestic champion Ashok Kumar, who plunged from 7th to 19th after a one-over round.

Kolkata pro Rahil Gangjee was the big Indian jumper, shooting 5-under and shooting up to tied 6th on the leaderboard from 35th.

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Defending champion Jyoti Randhawa also showed postive signs; he now shares the eighth spot with Ghei, SSP Chowrasia, Australian Unho Park and another co-leader from last night, Danny Chia.

As the afternoon turned windy, there were whispers flying around about Jeev Milkha Singh’s fate. The tournament trump card has not found homecoming very auspicious, and making the turn at three-over, he was in complete danger of an early return. He just managed to make it finally. He is two-over after two, the mark where the cut came.

Thaworn Wiratchant, the 2004 champion, missed it by three. He goes back home to Thailand after a second straight year of no-show at the DGC.

Leaderboard (After Round II)

133 Chapchai Nirat (THA), Chang Tse-peng (TPE)

134 David Gleeson (AUS)

137 Shamim Khan (IND), Hur In-hoi (KOR)

138 Gary Rusnak (USA), Rahil Gangjee (IND)

139 Jyoti Randhawa (IND), Unho Park (AUS), Danny Chia (MAS), Gaurav Ghei (IND), SSP Chowrasia (IND)

Other Indians:

141 Ashok Kumar (19th)

142 Jaiveer Virk, Mukesh Kumar, Gurbaaz Mann (24th)

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143 Digvijay Singh, Chiragh Kumar, Vijay Kumar, Arjun Singh, Rahul Bakshi [A] (28th)

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