The 41-year-old Bangladeshi golfer (65-63), a six-time winner on the DP World PGTI, moved to 12-under 128 after an eventful round featuring seven birdies, an eagle and two bogeys.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Hossain began his second round three shots behind first-round leader Om Prakash Chouhan and was tied fifth when heavy rain forced the suspension of play on Wednesday. He returned on Thursday to complete his remaining holes when he moved clear of the field.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The tournament has been reduced to 54 holes following the weather disruptions. The third and final round will be played on Friday with a shotgun start. Delhi\u2019s Kshitij Naveed Kaul (64-66), who held the clubhouse lead overnight, moved to second place at 10-under 130.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Chandigarh\u2019s Akshay Sharma (66-65) and Ajeetesh Sandhu (63-68) shared third place at nine-under 131. Former Asian Tour winner Sandhu endured multiple weather interruptions before completing a two-under 68 on Thursday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Current DP World PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar (67-65), first-round leader and 2023 rankings champion Om Prakash Chouhan (62-70), and University of South Florida graduate Shubham Jaglan (67-65) shared fifth place at eight-under 132.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Two chip-ins, on the eighth and par-five 13th, were among the highlights of Hossain\u2019s round. His chip-in on the 13th resulted in an eagle and helped him take control of the tournament. \u201cI chipped in twice, on the eighth and 13th, so I\u2019m very happy with the round,\u201d Hossain said. \u201cThe course was soft, and the ball was not travelling as much after landing, which made hitting fairways very important.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Hossain credited his driving for helping him handle the wet conditions. He estimated that he missed only two or three fairways during the round. \u201cI drove the ball really well and found most of the fairways. That made a big difference in these conditions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
His most fortunate moment came on the par-three 18th. Hossain\u2019s five-iron tee shot headed right and struck the out-of-bounds boundary before rebounding into the course. He took advantage of the reprieve by getting up and down for par. \u201cI was lucky on the 18th because the ball came back into play after hitting the boundary,\u201d he said. \u201cI managed to save par, and that changed the momentum of my round. I played very well after that.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Hossain, currently 12th in the PGTI Rankings, has previously won at Tollygunge Club and feels particularly comfortable at the Kolkata venue. \u201cWhenever I play at Tollygunge Club, it feels like my home course,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is one of my favourite courses, and I always seem to play good golf here. I\u2019ll go out tomorrow and try to do my best.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
His most fortunate moment came on the par-three 18th. Hossain\u2019s five-iron tee shot headed right and struck the out-of-bounds boundary before rebounding into the course. He took advantage of the reprieve by getting up and down for par. \u201cI was lucky on the 18th because the ball came back into play after hitting the boundary,\u201d he said. \u201cI managed to save par, and that changed the momentum of my round. I played very well after that.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Divyanshu Bajaj was the highest-placed among the Kolkata-based players as he occupied tied 19 th place at three-under 137. The cut fell at one-over 141, with 57 professionals from the field of 132 advancing to the final round.<\/p>\r\n\r\n