Starting the day by completing two holes from Round One in the morning, Bhullar carried momentum straight into round two with four birdies on his front nine from 10, and three more on the back. Aside from two bogeys on 13 and 15, the Olympian showed why Indonesia has long been a happy hunting ground for him.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThis morning we came back to finish the last two holes from the first round, and I closed with a birdie, which gave me good momentum heading into round two,\u201d Bhullar said. \u201cThe key today was accuracy - I hit all 14 fairways and 16 greens in regulation, which gave me plenty of birdie chances. I did make two bogeys, but overall it was a very solid round.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 37-year-old is no stranger to success in Indonesia. Out of his 11 Asian Tour titles, five have come in Indonesia, including the 2023 BNI Indonesian Masters, his most recent tournament win. He also won the Indonesia Open at this week\u2019s course in 2013.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt feels good to be back,\u201d he added. \u201cComing here brings back a lot of positive memories. Walking past the champions\u2019 photos and seeing mine there is always motivating. Indonesia has been very kind to me, and the goal is to stay positive and build on this momentum.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhullar, who has cut all four International Series events so far this year, is confident about what lies ahead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cMy best finish was in Morocco, around 14th, but mentally I felt like I was playing much better than the scores showed. I feel like I\u2019ve been playing better than my scores have shown. Sometimes the first half sets you up well for the second half, and I\u2019m looking forward to a strong run of events,\" commented Bhullar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England\u2019s Steve Lewton, who won on the same track last year on the Mandiri Indonesia Open, went one better as he carded a bogey-free six under to move level with Bhullar. At the top of the leaderboard, Pavit matched Bhullar\u2019s five-under round to take the outright lead at 11-under-par, buoyed by sharp putting.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cMy overall game is solid this week, especially my putting,\u201d Pavit said. \u201cI worked a lot after last week, and it feels like it\u2019s paying off. Once the first putt dropped, the confidence just flowed.\u201d Also making waves was fellow Thai Tanapat Pichaikool, who carded a brilliant eight-under-par round to move into solo fourth. He opened with four straight birdies from holes one to four, setting the tone for a confident performance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England\u2019s Steve Lewton, who won on the same track last year on the Mandiri Indonesia Open, went one better as he carded a bogey-free six under to move level with Bhullar. At the top of the leaderboard, Pavit matched Bhullar\u2019s five-under round to take the outright lead at 11-under-par, buoyed by sharp putting.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With Bhullar within striking distance of the lead, Indian fans will be keeping a close watch as the weekend unfolds at the Jakarta International Championship.<\/p>\r\n\r\n