The 23-year-old from Delhi, a two-time winner on the PGTI and currently 16th in the season rankings, began the day with a one-shot advantage. He made six birdies against a lone bogey to strengthen his position at the top of the leaderboard.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Starting from the 10th tee, Bhattacharya dropped his only shot of the day on the par-four 12th and remained one-over for his round through seven holes. However, he remained confident because of the quality of his ball-striking. \u201cI made a slow start and was one-over through seven holes, but I knew I was hitting good shots,\u201d said Bhattacharya.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
His patience was rewarded on the 17th, where a well-struck drive set up the first of five consecutive birdies. Bhattacharya continued his run through the 18th, first, second and third holes to take control of the tournament. \u201cI struck a very good drive on the 17th and converted the opportunity, which started the run,\u201d he said. \u201cI kept giving myself good looks over the next few holes and managed to take advantage.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhattacharya added one more birdie and did not drop another shot as he followed his opening 68 with the best round of the day. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
Hyderabad\u2019s Mohd Azhar (70-68), who began the day tied fifth, climbed to second place at six-under 138. Azhar mixed six birdies with two bogeys in a four-under 68 to emerge as Bhattacharya\u2019s nearest challenger. Greater Noida\u2019s Arjun Sharma (69-72), Chandigarh\u2019s Angad Cheema (73-68) and Bangladesh\u2019s Badal Hossain (69-72) shared third place at three-under 141.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The wind strengthened during the second round, forcing players to control their ball flight on the exposed 7,330-yard layout. Bhattacharya felt his ability to adapt to the changing conditions played an important role. \u201cThe conditions required me to manufacture shots and control the flight of the ball, particularly when playing into the wind,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought I handled that well, found plenty of fairways and missed in the right places.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhattacharya finished runner-up to Kshitij Naveed Kaul by two shots in the inaugural edition last year and is once again well-placed heading into the weekend. \u201cI have good memories of this course despite coming up just short last year,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m in a good position and looking forward to the last two rounds.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Current DP World PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar (72-71), who spent the summer competing on the HotelPlanner Tour, moved from tied 11th to tied ninth at one-under 143.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Bhattacharya finished runner-up to Kshitij Naveed Kaul by two shots in the inaugural edition last year and is once again well-placed heading into the weekend. \u201cI have good memories of this course despite coming up just short last year,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m in a good position and looking forward to the last two rounds.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Only 12 players from the field of 132 finished the opening 36 holes at even par or better, underlining the challenge presented by the par-72 layout. The cut fell at eight-over 152, with 51 players advancing to the final two rounds.<\/p>\r\n\r\n