Joshua Berry\u2019s (72-62) extraordinary and error-free 62 lifted him 53 spots from his overnight 54th position while Om Prakash Chouhan\u2019s (66-68) solid 68 that saw him make a late surge helped him continue as the co-leader for the second successive day in the HotelPlanner Tour & PGTI joint sanctioned event.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Norway\u2019s Andreas Halvorsen (66) was a shot behind the leaders in third place. Dhruv Sheoran returned a 71 on Friday to be the second Indian in the top 10 as he occupied tied eighth place at six-under 138.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Local favourite SSP Chawrasia\u2019s second round of 72 saw him end the day in tied 13th place at five-under 139. Gaganjeet Bhullar produced a flawless 65, the best round among the Indians on day two, to rise 93 spots to be tied 16th at four-under 140.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The halfway cut came down at even-par 144. In all, 71 professionals including 20 Indians made the cut.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 19-year-old Joshua Berry sank five birdies on the back nine, including four on the tot and then added five more on the front nine to break the previous course record of nine-under 63 jointly held by Edward Fryatt, Arjun Atwal, Rashid Khan, and Shamim Khan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Berry, who has enjoyed playing rights on the DP World Tour and the HotelPlanner Tour since 2023, dramatically broke the course record as he birdied the ninth, his closing hole of the day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Joshua said, \u201cIt\u2019s pretty special to have a course record at a golf club that\u2019s been here for such a long time. To shoot the best score in that time is great. It\u2019s a nice reward for all the work I\u2019ve put in. When you\u2019re not playing your best, you\u2019ve just got to keep grinding for days like today.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt does excite me being in this position. I would\u2019ve been happy with anything in the 60s today, but to go out and hole a few more putts is good, and I played solid. Yesterday, I was three-over-par through seven holes, so I was chasing it, and I was playing in the afternoon when it\u2019s a lot firmer and harder to get it closer, so it was nice to take advantage of the morning tee time today,\" he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt\u2019s one of those courses where you\u2019ve really got to get it in play and play to your spots. You can\u2019t get too aggressive. I felt I played pretty well, hit it to my spots and rolled a few in today.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI just tried to stay in the moment, play one shot at a time, and not try to get ahead of myself. Obviously, that\u2019s easier said than done. I\u2019ll stay patient now and play my own game, prepare well, and see what happens,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 38-year-old Om Prakash Chouhan, the 2023 PGTI Order of Merit champion and a former winner on the HotelPlanner Tour, had a slow start to the day, making a birdie and a bogey each on the front nine. His birdie on the eighth came as a result of a mammoth 30-foot conversion.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Om Prakash\u2019s round took flight after his tap-in birdie on the 12th and 15-foot birdie conversion on the 13th. He finally ended the day on a high by draining 10-foot birdie putts on the 17th and 18th.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI missed a few putts on the front nine today because I was having some issues with my putting stroke. I managed to sort that out on the back nine, and the birdies followed thereafter. I grew in confidence after the birdies on the 12th and 13th,\" Chouhan said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Om Prakash\u2019s round took flight after his tap-in birdie on the 12th and 15-foot birdie conversion on the 13th. He finally ended the day on a high by draining 10-foot birdie putts on the 17th and 18th.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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