Indian Open: Manav Jaini lies tied third
Delhi golfer Manav Jaini shot a three under 69 at his home course in round two of the Indian Open to be in a four-way tie for third place.
Jaini?s total moved to five under 139 on Friday. He is currently placed one stroke behind the joint leaders Seuk-hyun Baek of South Korea and England?s Simon Griffiths. Mukesh Kumar?s second round 70 helped him finish the day in tied seventh at four under 140.
The cut was declared at four over 148. Sixty-nine professionals and one amateur made the cut.
Manav Jaini (70-69), currently placed seventh on the Aircel PGTI?s Rolex Rankings for 2010, followed up his first round 70 with a bogey-free 69 on Friday.
The Delhi golfer birdied the 13th, 18th and second on day two. One of his best shots of the day came on the 18th, where he laid-up and then landed his lob wedge third shot from 80 yards within two feet to set up a birdie.
On the second hole, Jaini landed his second shot from the rough on the lip to create yet another birdie opportunity. The up and down he made for par on the ninth was also crucial since it helped him close the day without a bogey.
Jaini is in a four-way tie for third place along with Americans Anthony Kang and Ben Fox as well as Sweden?s Rikard Karlberg.
?I?ve been playing well on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) this year and am looking to carry that form forward to this event. This is my home course and I know it pretty well. I think 10 under would be the winning score this week.” he said.
?The greens are playing really well just like they play during the rest of the year. The rough is up and if you miss it off the tee, there is no second shot. The course is also playing longer,” he added.
?A positive mindset helps a lot at this venue. I used the driver on six holes today and made the fairway on each occasion except on the 14th,? said Jaini.
Veteran Mukesh Kumar (70-70), fired a second successive 70 to grab a share of seventh place at four under 140. He birdied the 15th, 18th and third and dropped a lone bogey on the first.
He made a tough downhill putt from 10 feet for birdie on the 18th and an uphill one from 25 feet for the birdie on the third.
?My confidence soared after I converted an up and down from the bunker for par on the 11th. This was an excellent par save as my drive had landed in the rough on that hole,” he said.
?The pin positions have been quite tough over the last two days therefore we?ve not seen very low scores. However, I have relished the challenge of dealing with these tough pin positions. It?s got the best out of me,” he added.
?I have not used the driver even once during the first two rounds. My plan is to use only the 3-wood and rescue for my tee shots as I cannot afford to miss the fairways at this course,? said Kumar.
Shamim Khan at tied 11th (three under 141) and Arjun Atwal, Feroz Ali Mollah and Ashok Kumar at tied 18th (two under 142) were the other Indians in the top 20.
Jyoti Randhawa is a further stroke behind in tied 23rd place.
Defending champion C Muniyappa missed the cut, having totaled 11 over 155 for the first two days.
