Khalin Joshi produced another flawless round to open up a commanding seven-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Rs 1 crore J&K Open after carding a five-under 66 at the Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar on Wednesday.
The 33-year-old from Bengaluru, who started the day with a two-shot advantage following an opening-round 63, remained bogey-free and mixed three birdies with an eagle to move to 13-under 129 after two rounds.
Delhi’s two-time Asian Tour winner Rashid Khan and Chandigarh’s Angad Cheema shared second place at six-under 136 after both returned identical rounds of 68. Cheema, runner-up at the Boulders Classic in April, stayed within touching distance of Rashid but remained seven strokes behind the leader.
The Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek, Noida’s Gaurav Pratap Singh, Chandigarh’s Ajeetesh Sandhu and Joshua Seale were tied for fourth at five-under 137. Danek and Gaurav carded 69s, Seale signed for a 68, while Sandhu followed his opening-round 65 with a 72.
Eighteen-year-old Gurugram rookie Harman Sachdeva slipped to tied eighth after a second-round 73 left him at four-under 138. Sachdeva had produced the tournament’s only bogey-free round on the opening day.
DP World PGTI Rankings leader Saptak Talwar dropped from overnight tied ninth to tied 23rd after a 71 left him at two-under 140. Talwar recently returned from competing on the HotelPlanner Tour during the European summer.
Tournament organisers also modified the course after heavy rain before the event. The par-four 11th hole was shortened and played as a par-three due to waterlogging.
The cut was set at one-over 143, with 50 of the 131 players making it through to the final two rounds.
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