Steady Bhullar leaps into lead

Gaganjeet Bhullar did what has become his habit these days and brought home his second successive round of four-under 68 to grab the halfway lead in the DLF Masters golf tournament in Gurgaon on Friday.

Digvijay Singh (137) matched Bhullar's effort to grab the second spot from one shot behind, while Jyoti Randhawa, Shamim Khan, Ashok Kumar and Rahil Gangjee went into the third place huddle at five-under 139.

Bhullar's trademark 350-yard drive on his opening hole gave a glimpse of the kind of form he has been in over the last few weeks. Although he missed a three feet putt for par on the 12th, the strapping six-footer from Kapurthala rallied to collect birdies on the 14th, 16th and 18th to put things in order.

Bhullar suffered a minor blip when he bogeyed the first and second thanks to a couple of missed chip-putts. A chip-in and some accurate approach shots earned him four more birdies on the fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth to push him into the lead.

"I holed some good putts today. Missing a one foot putt for birdie on the 15th was a bit disappointing. However, I was really pleased with my effort on the 18th, where I recovered from the rough with a near-perfect pitching wedge shot to earn a birdie," a satisfied Bhullar said.

Looking ahead, the rising star Bhullar said he just could not afford to relax. "The contest just seems to have begun. There are many contenders at the moment as Jyoti, Ashok, Shamim, Digvijay and Racial have all shot good scores in round two. There are still 36 holes to go and anything can happen. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself at the moment," he said.

Digvijay's 68 included birdies on the first, second, sixth, eighth, 11th and a lone bogey on the 14th. He chipped-in for birdie on the second.

"I'm satisfied with my effort since I have not been in the best of form in recent weeks. I have a problem with my swing at the moment and I am working towards getting that sorted out," he said.

Shamim Khan's splendid 66 was the best round of the day and it placed him tied third. "I hit it close through the day, especially on the par three holes. I hit nine fairways and made regulation on 15 holes. You have to be very precise with your tee shots at this course as the fairways are very tight and feature a number of slopes," Shamim said.

Defending champion Randhawa climbed from overnight tied 11th to tied third with the help of a solid 68 in round two. "I did not putt as well as round one but definitely hit it better today. I'm glad to be just three strokes adrift of the lead at this stage. I know I'll be in contention from here on as long as I am patient," Randhawa said.