Dubai [UAE], December 10 : Bengaluru youngster Veer Ganapathy fired a six under par 66 to hold the day two lead in the IGPL UAE presented by Shiv Kapur for a 36-hole total of 8 under 136 at the Els Club in Dubai, the first overseas foray by the new league, as per a release from IGPL.
Ladies European Tour regular and a winner already in the inaugural season of the Indian Golf Premier League, Pranavi Urs was a close second with her second successive three under 69 for a two-day total of 6 under 138 alongside her close friend Karandeep Kochhar (69-69) and long-hitting Ludhiana golfer Pukhraj Singh Gill (70-68).
Overnight leader and former Indian Open winner Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia, followed his opening seven under 65 with a two over 74 on Tuesday to be in sole possession of fifth place on five under 139 along with three-time IGPL winner Gaganjeet Bhullar (67-72), IGPL Order of Merit winner Aman Raj (70-69) and fast-rising young talent Raghav Chugh (72-67).
The left-handed Ganapathy, coached by his father Rahul, fired an eagle and four birdies against one dropped shot to make the turn at the testing par-72 Els Club course in 5 under 31 before adding a further two birdies and a bogey on his way back to the clubhouse.
Pranavi, already a winner on the IGPL this season with victory at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC), where she closed with a stunning eight under par 60 to beat her boyfriend Kochhar by two strokes and emerge the first winner at a mixed event in India, was two strokes behind Ganapathy.
The Mysuru golfer mixed five birdies with two dropped shots in her three-under 69, while Kochhar had six birdies against three bogeys, and Gill set out well with an eagle and three birdies to turn in 4 under 36 before a level par back nine saw him close on four under 68 for the day.
Chawrasia, a six-time winner on the Asian Tour, four of them at events co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour, needed to grind it out on Tuesday to stay in touch with the leaders, and he sits just three shots behind day two leader Ganapathy, along with Bhullar, Aman Raj and Chugh.
Said Bhullar after day one, "I am enjoying myself on the IGPL Tour. My game has been good, and I will try to keep the momentum going and try for a four in four."
Tournament host Shiv Kapur shared 16th place on one under 143 along with Jeev Milkha Singh, who flew in for the event straight from Mauritius, where he was the runner-up in the MCB Mauritius on the European Legends Tour for Over-50s.
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