PGTI Final Qualifying Stage: Aryan Anand Storms Into 6-shot Lead With Brilliant 63 In Round Two

PGTI Final Qualifying Stage: Aryan Anand storms into 6-shot lead with brilliant 63 in round two (Image Source: IANS)

Kolkata, Feb 1, Bengaluru-based amateur Aryan Roopa Anand stormed into a six-shot lead at 13-under 127 following his brilliant second round of seven-under 63 in the Final Qualifying Stage of the TATA Steel PGTI Qualifying School 2023 being played at the Tollygunge Club here on Wednesday.

The quartet comprising Bengaluru's C. Muniyappa, Faridabad's Karan Pratap Singh, Pune's Pranav Mardikar and Nepal's Sukra Bahadur Rai were tied second at a total of 7-under 133.

The cut was applied at five-over 145. Out of a field of 126, the top 81 players including 13 amateurs made the cut.

Aryan Roopa Anand (64-63), the overnight leader by one shot, extended his lead as he went one better than his first-round score of 64. The 21-year-old dominated proceedings for the second day in succession with nine birdies at the cost of two bogeys.

Aryan had a flurry of birdies at the start as he sank putts from a range of 12 to 25 feet to pick up shots on the second, third, fourth and fifth. Anand, who made more long putts on day two as compared to day one, also had a string of birdies towards the end as he made gains on the 13th, 14th, 15th and 17th.

"It was a better scoring day for me today but I felt that I drove it better on day one. However, I continued to keep the errors to a minimum and made more long conversions today, sinking it six times from a range of 12 to 25 feet. I capitalized well on some of the scoring holes and the par-5s. The performance in the first two rounds gives me good confidence going into the last two days but I need to continue doing what I've done well so far," Aryan Anand was quoted as saying by the PGTI on Wednesday.

Among the four players placed tied second, Pranav Mardikar had the best score of 64. He made two eagles during his round.

"It was a better scoring day for me today but I felt that I drove it better on day one. However, I continued to keep the errors to a minimum and made more long conversions today, sinking it six times from a range of 12 to 25 feet. I capitalized well on some of the scoring holes and the par-5s. The performance in the first two rounds gives me good confidence going into the last two days but I need to continue doing what I've done well so far," Aryan Anand was quoted as saying by the PGTI on Wednesday.

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