Sukhman Singh tops the table in IGU Andhra Pradesh Amateur Golf Championship
The 19-year-old from Noida shot a gritty six-under 65 in the second round to take his two-day tally to nine-under 133 for a one-shot lead over Sanju
Hyderabad: Sukhman Singh made the most of the near-benign conditions to vault to the top of the leaderboard on the second day of the IGU Andhra Pradesh Amateur Golf Championship at the East Point Golf Club in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
The 19-year-old from Noida shot a gritty six-under 65 in the second round to take his two-day tally to nine-under 133 for a one-shot lead over Sanju, who shot a superb seven-under 64, the best card of the day.
Deepak Yadav followed up his 67 with a 68 to occupy third place with an aggregate of seven-under 135. Overnight leader Ranveer Mitroo (73) had a poor day in the office and slipped to the ninth spot with a cumulative score of three-under 139.
Barring the missed green on the par-3 second hole, Sukhman, who won his maiden amateur title last month, was otherwise spot on with his game. His ball striking was immaculate, and with the rough punishing, his focus was to stay away from danger.
He had six birdies and an eagle on the 12th hole, where he reached the green in two and holed a 15-foot putt. Besides the blemish on the second, Sukhman had another bogey on the 14th, which he three-putted. He was unlucky to see his par putt lip out.
Sanju, still searching for his first win on the amateur circuit, went on a birdie blitz from the get-go. A 10th tee starter, he picked up shots on the 10th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 16th. A rare duffed shot saw him bogey the 17th hole. However, the Railways golfer birdied the fourth, fifth and the eighth holes on the return journey for his stunning 64.
Leading scores (after 36 holes): 133: Sukhman Singh (68, 65); 134: Sanju (70, 64); 135: Deepak Yadav (67, 68); 136: Akash Kumar (69, 67); 137: Vivek Kumar (71, 66); 138: Sumit Kotwal (70, 68), Ram Singh Mann (70, 68), Puthuru Raj Kumar (67, 71); 139: Ranveer Mitroo (66, 73).
