Vijay Kumar assumes sole lead

Vijay Kumar basked alone in the limelight with an aggregate of three-under 133 after round two in the Rs 550,000 Leela Palace – BGC Open, being played at the par-68, 5,750-yard Bangalore Golf Club, on Friday.

Mukesh Kumar along with Delhi's Vinod Kumar were tied second, one stroke behind Vijay at a tally of two-under 134, while Calcutta's Feroz Ali occupied the fourth spot at one-under 135.

Bangalore's own Tarun Sardesai was tied in sixth with Pune’s D S Raghuvanshi at level-par 136.

Overnight joint leader Devendra Patel slipped to tied-15th spot courtesy a second round score of eight-over 76.

Local golfer Ayaz will be the only golfer to miss out on the final two days' play, due to the rule which permits only the top 50 professionals plus ties to qualify for the money making rounds.

On Friday, Vijay Kumar proved once again why he is regarded as the most mentally resilient golfer on the circuit. The top-ranked golfer in the Mahindra rankings this season had a very ordinary front-nine which included a lone bogey on the 3rd caused by a simple five-feet par putt lipping out.

"It was very frustrating that too so early in my round," said Vijay. A sea of pared holes followed and the Lucknow-based pro entered his return journey at one-over. His second bogey of the day on the 11th, however, woke him from his reverie and the three-time Order of Merit winner responded with birdies on the 12th, 14th and 16th.

"I regained my putting form in the last few holes and that helped me consolidate my position," said Vijay whose birdies included a 15 feet effort on the 14th hole.

"I have been playing like an 'Avanti scooter’. Watch my 'Bullet' game on the final two days," jested the hefty golfer.

Vinod Kumar is considered by his peers and seniors alike as one of the best golfing talents in the country today. The 20-year-old started off pretty much like Vijay, with a bogey on the 3rd, placing him at one-over after nine-holes. On the opening hole of his back-nine, Vinod found the bunker with his approach shot to drop his second shot of the day. However, birdies on the 11th and 14th preceding a birdie-birdie finish to his round ensured a two-under 66 finish for him.

"My chipping and putting improved in my back-nine and that made all the difference," said Vinod, who also claimed that he hit the ball straighter and better than on Thursday.

Mukesh Kumar can ill afford to slip behind Vijay if he is to stand any chance of winning his second successive ‘Champion Golfer of the Year’ award.

The Mhow- based golfer had a bogey start to his round for the second day running.

"Bad second shots on both days," was what Mukesh credited his bogey starts to. A birdie on the 7th balanced the scale before another bogey on the 8th, where he missed a three feet par, placed him at one-over at the lemon-break. A driver-sand wedge combination followed by a graciously accepted ten feet putt saw him birdie the 11th, which proved to be the last eventful hole in his round of level-par 68.

"I was pulling my putts today which needs to stop if I have to win," he said.

Feroz Ali witnessed a timely return to form with a one-under 67. The ’98 Indian Open winner, missed a four feet par putt on the very first hole, and bogeyed the 5th where his ball got wedged in a tree forcing him to take a penalty drop. However, a birdie on the 13th and an eagle set up by a driver – 5-iron combination on the final hole of his round, undid all the bad work.

"The front nine is playing tougher than the back nine," said Feroz, who was a little disappointed with his putting today.

"I was standing a little too far from the ball and plan to make the necessary adjustments tomorrow," he said.

Dewan upstages Renu to lead amateurs: Gaurav Dewan carded a four-over 72 to displace Sripad Renu from the amateurs' lead. Dewan tallied nine-over 145 while David dsSouza was placed second at 150.

SCORES (after 36 holes): 133_Vijay Kumar (66,67); 134_Vinod Kumar (D) (68,66), Mukesh Kumar (66,68); 135_Feroz Ali (68,67); 136_Tarun Sardesai (69,67), DS Raghuvanshi (68,68); 137_Indrajit Bhalotia (67,70); 139_N Srinivasan (70,69); 140_Rohtas Singh (72,68), Sanjay Kumar (2) (70,70), Binod Pandey (69,71); 141_Nabin Mondal (73,68), Rajesh Rawat (71,70), C Muniyappa (67,74)Amateurs: 145_Gaurav Dewan (73,72); 150_David deSouza (74,76); 153_Sripad Renu (72,81).