Indians falter at Open

8220;I was going great on the front nine and was well on target after reaching the turn at one under par,8221; said Jeev, the lone Indian on the PGA European Tour.

8220;But, like yesterday, the back nine got me 8212; there was a long wait on the 11th and I couldn8217;t make up my mind whether to use my driver or one iron. In the end, I used a driver, lost my ball and ended up taking a double bogey.8221;The three-time winner on the Asian PGA8217;s Omega Tour carded one birdie, three bogeys and one double bogey.

8220;I played pretty solid on the whole, a better backnine today , but it looks likely I8217;ll miss out by just one shot,8221; added Jeev, currently 68th in the European rankings. 8220;It8217;s the hardest 36 holes of golf I8217;ve ever played, but I was pleased with the way I kept my composure and kept playing the course instead of worrying about the difficult conditions.8221; Jeev8217;s compatriot Vivek Bhandari also gave a good account of himself in what was his first attempt to qualify for the Open championship.

Bhandari carded two birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey at the par 71 Hesketh Golf Club, following his first round 77 with a four over par 75 for a 152 aggregate. The 26-year-old from New Delhi missed the qualifying mark at his designated course by six shots.

Arjun Atwal also struggled with the swirling wind and rain, and posted his second consecutive 79 for a 158 aggregate. Atwal fired two birdies and nine bogeys, and finished 12 shots off the qualifying mark at Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club.

Gaurav Ghei, who last year became the first Indian to compete in theOpen after qualifying for the 126th championship at Royal Troon, also failed to come to terms with the wind, while Arjun Singh failed to post a score after withdrawing from the second round.

While the Indians struggled with the challenging conditions, Choi Kyung-Ju of Korea and Australia8217;s Grant Dodd successfully made it through to the third major of the season.