IGPL: Pukhraj on fire as he takes seven-shot lead in Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur, Nov 6 (IANS) Pukhraj Singh Gill kept his foot on the pedal and did not let go as he added a round of 8-under 64 to his first round of 9-under 63 on the first day to take a big lead after two days at the IGPL Invitational Jamshedpur.

Pukhraj, 29, who hails from Ludhiana, is now 17-under for two rounds at the Par-72 Beldih Course, which can be quite tricky and challenging. Yet Pukhraj has had only one bogey against 16 birdies and one eagle, which came on the Par-5 16th. He stared from the first and had a hat-trick of birdies from the second and added two more on the sixth and the seventh to turn in 5-under.

On the back nine, he birdied the 10th and the 12th and eagled the 16th while dropping his only shot in the two rounds so far on the Paf-4 14th.

Pukhraj, who had finished runner-up in IGPL Jaypee Greens, is seeking his first professional title and his seven-shot lead over the established Sachin Baisoya (67-67), is the biggest any player has had after two rounds. Meanwhile, Baisoya is also looking for his maiden win on the IGPL Tour.

Harendra Gupta of Chandigarh, a multiple winner on the Indian Tour, added a bogey free 4-under 68 to his first round 67 and is third at 9-under.

The surprise presence in the Top-5 is that of former Asian Tour winner, Chiragh Kumar, who is slowly finding his game as he comes back from injuries.

Chiragh, who lives a stone’s throw from the Delhi Golf Club, opened with a bogey on the fourth hole in the shotgun start, and then went on to pick four birdies and an eagle on the Par-5 16th for a round of 67. He is now eight-under and sole fourth.

The IGPL Order of Merit leader, Aman Raj (69-70), who was looking at a unique hat-trick of wins after successes in Jaipur and Kolkata, was tied tenth alongside M Dharma (70-69), Kapil Kumar (72-67), Aryan Roopa Anand (71-68), Trishul Chinnappa (69-70) and young Kartik Singh (70-69) at 5-under total.

An elated Pukhraj, who has had just one bogey in 36 holes, said, “This week has been an absolute flyer for me. Everything seems to be clicking, the hole feels bigger, and I’ve just taken it all in my stride. I’ve barely had a bogey, and that makes it easy to stay patient and focused because the game is flowing nicely.

“I’m very pleased with my performance today. I hardly missed a shot, and finishing with an eagle on the 16th really gave me an extra boost heading into tomorrow. My game plan has been solid, and I don’t want to change much. The course suits my style — especially my shot shape — and I’m very comfortable with how I’m striking it right now.”

“Golf is a funny game; you can easily have a few stray shots here and there. So having a cushion of two or three shots definitely helps.” added Pukhraj Gill

Speaking on the lovely Jamshedpur Golf Course, he added, “This course is definitely a little longer, with more well-defined tree lines, and both those aspects actually play to my advantage. The grass type is different too, and overall it feels more challenging than the Golmuri Golf Course. Golmuri has its own character, but I feel this one demands a bit more precision and control.”

Talking of Sachin Baisoya, who is lying second, but played alongside him in the same group, Pukhraj said, “Both of us played very well today. Golf is an individual game, so you’re in your own world most of the time — I was focused on my game, and he (Sachin) was probably focused on his. I think we both did really well.”

Baisoya was also happy with his round, and commented, “The round went well. I did a good job hitting that part was really strong. My iron shots were quite close today, though I messed up slightly with the putting. On short putts of around six to seven feet, I missed about 5 or 6 of them, and that’s where the scoring slipped a bit."

Sachin Baisoya added, “I’m happy as it was a bogey-free round. As for tomorrow, my approach remains the same, stick to fairways and greens. If I stay consistent, I’ll keep making pars, and if a birdie opportunity comes along, that’s a bonus. That’s pretty much the plan.”

Harendra Gupta was also happy the way his game has been trending. He said, “Over the last five to six years, my game has really improved, and I’ve been hitting the ball well. My driving has become much better, and I’m very happy that my game has come back. I’ve also been scoring really well lately.”

He added, “For the last five years, I wasn’t scoring as consistently, but over the past couple of years, I’ve been playing very well. It feels great to see my game back. There isn’t one particular shot that stands out — it’s more about playing my overall game. Questions or challenges always come and go, but what matters is staying focused and playing your own game.”

Shat Mishra (71-66) and Saarthak Chibber (71-66) were tied for the fifth place at 7-under, while former Indian Open champion Chinnaswamy Muniyappa (69-69), Yashas Chandra (68-70) and Sudhir Sharma (67-71) were all at 6-under total and tied for the seventh place.

Young Kartik Singh, who is second on the IGPL Order of Merit leader, was tied tenth with OOM leader, Aman Raj (69-70), veteran M Dharma (70-69), IGPL Pune winner, Kapil Kumar (72-67), former two-time All India Amateur winner, Aryan Roopa Anand (71-68) and Trishul Chinnappa (69-70).

--IANS

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