Ashok Kumar began in blazing fashion, making birdies on four of his first five holes, but an errant driver on the back nine saw Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia almost catching up with the overnight leader on the second day of the Rs one million DHL Challenge, being played at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club, on Wednesday.

In the most unique event on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour, the 24-year-old Chowrasia submitted a +8 card to tally +18 in two days and was just one point away from Delhi's Ashok, who added a +7 to his overnight +12.

The cut was applied at -5 and 53 pros made it to the last two rounds.

The DHL Challenge is being played on the modified stableford format, the first time such a format has been employed on the Indian Tour. A par is worth 0 points, a birdie +2, an eagle +5 and an albatross +8. On the other hand, a bogey is worth -1 point, double bogey -2, a triple bogey -3 and so on.

Amit Dube, whose wife Kerstin is expecting their first baby next week, shot the best score of the day to leapfrog up the leaderboard. Dube's +9 helped him to +11 for two days. The Noida-based player joined the defending champion and No 1 player on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour, Mukesh Kumar, in tied third place at +11.

Mukesh tallied +4 points today.

Delhi's Shamim Khan added a second successive +5 for a total of +10 and lone possession of fifth place.

Mohammed Salim, who led the DHL Open last year after two rounds, shot a +8 to be in tied sixth place at +9 along side Bhoop Singh and Devendra Patel.

Twice Honda-Siel PGA Championship winner Uttam Singh Mundy overcame a sore shoulder and gave himself a birthday present one day late by shooting a +8 which brought him back in contention.

Ashok made birdies on the first, third, fourth and fifth holes, but started suspecting his driver when he pushed his tee shot on the ninth and made a bogey after the ball ricocheted off the OB wall. On the 10th, he made a bogey from the left bunker and pushed his driver out of bounds on the 11th for a double bogey. Birdies on the 15th and 18th saved the lead for him.

"I am not too worried as I know I can get things back on track tomorrow. I have to play my normal game and just keep attacking," said the Noida Open winner, who is playing his rookie season.

Chowrasia, who is enjoying the modified stableford format to the hilt, concentrated on making birdies and was rewarded with six of them. He began with a bang, saving strokes on the first, third and fourth. His other birdies came on the 13th, 16th and 18th holes. However, his putter was not at its usual best and three three-putt bogies - on the second, seventh and 15th - costed him three points. His other bogey was a missed chip-putt on the fifth hole.

"Given the format, where bogies carry less points than birdies, I was never frustrated by the ones I made as long as I kept making birdies," said the diminutive Kolkata pro.

LEADING SCORES (after 36 holes): +19 _ Ashok Kumar (+12+7); +18 _ Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (+10+8); +11 _ Amit Dube (+2+9), Mukesh Kumar (+7+4); +10 _ Shamim Khan (+5+5); +9 _ Mohd Salim (+1+8), Bhoop Singh (+4+5), Devendra Patel (+7+2); +7 _ Mohd Islam (+2+5), Naman Dawar (+3+4); +6 _ Uttam Singh Mundy (-2+8), Vishal Singh (+4+2), Yusuf Ali (+6+0).

Amateurs: -11 _ Lalit Goenka (-2-9); -17 _ Neil Mundra (-7-10).