Raghav Chugh of India Photograph by AAC.
Melbourne, Oct 27: Delhi golfer, Raghav Chugh, who now plays college golf in the United States shot a superb 2-under 70 on another difficult day at the 14th Asia-Pacific Amateur Championships. From being way down in Tied-51st after the first day Chugh is now the top Indian at tied-18th place.
Of the seven Indians, who are playing in the event five made the cut, which fell at 12-over in extremely tough conditions at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
The other Indians making the cut included the 13-year-old Kartik Singh (78-72), who is believed to be the youngest ever to make the cut in this annual event, from which the winner goes on to play the Masters and the Open, the following year. Kartik is now lying T-36 while Shubham Jaglan (72-77), who was T-9 after first round slipped to T-29, Yuvraj Singh (74-77) was T-41st and the 20-year-old Shaurya Bhattacharya (83-71) made a massive 12-shot improvement in his scores to make the cut right on the line. Shaurya is T-60th as 68 players made the cut and will play in the final two rounds.
The Indians missing out on the cut were Krishnav Nikhil Chopraa (77-80) and Vedant Sirohi (85-75).
Chinese Taipei’s Chuan-Tai Lin shot the low round of the day to earn a share of the lead on Friday. With a four-under-par 67, Lin moved into a tie with China’s Wenyi Ding at three under for the Championship.
Lin, who played in the Junior Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne in 2019, carded six birdies and just two dropped shots to surge up the leaderboard.
Ding made a fast start with two birdies in his opening four holes but slipped back with bogey fives at the fifth and seventh. The freshman at Arizona State bounced back with birdies at the 10th and 13th but was disappointed to drop a shot at the last.
New Zealanders Kazuma Kobori and Jimmy Zheng were hard on their heels after enjoying varying second-round fortunes.
First-round leader Kobori started brightly with a birdie at the par-4 fourth on the Royal Melbourne Composite Course but ran into trouble with four dropped shots in five holes from the seventh hole on.
Kobori, who arrived in Australia after claiming the individual title at the World Amateur Team Championships in Abu Dhabi last weekend, posted a 75 to sit T3.
Chugh, 19, who had an eagle on a Par-4 and no birdies on the first day, made four birdies in the first nine holes on the second day. With two other bogeys he shot 2-under 69. The former US Kids World Teen winner in 2019, Chugh is coached Romit Bose.
Kartik, who had a five-putt triple bogey on the second hole on the first day, had two birdies and three bogeys on the second, said he had changed his strategy with his approach shots as the fairways and the greens were very fast. That helped him and he is looking at going in the same way.
