Bengaluru Open Golf Championship: Honey Baisoya belies his age, takes sole lead
Bengaluru: Twenty-one-year-old Honey Baisoya of Delhi smashed a phenomenal eight-under-64, the joint lowest score in a professional event at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) course, to establish a healthy three-shot lead at 13-under-131 at the halfway stage of the Rs. 1 crore Bengaluru Open Golf Championship on Thursday.
It was a day that belonged to the young guns on the PGTI as 26-year-old Udayan Mane, who moved base from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad earlier this year, also came up with an exceptional seven-under-65 to lie second at 10-under-134.
Honey Baisoya (67-64), a winner of four titles on the PGTI in the last one year, including two this season, delivered an eagle, seven birdies and a bogey on Thursday to power ahead of the rest.
Baisoya’s standout performance helped him equal his second round playing partner Amardip Sinh Malik’s 2010 record for the lowest score in a professional event at the KGA. Honey was two strokes short of Khalin Joshi’s course record of 10-under-62 set during an amateur event in 2012.
Udayan Mane (69-65) produced a cracking 65 to make major gains on day two. He moved up from overnight tied 14th to second place.
Round one joint leader Sujjan Singh of Chandigarh, still recovering from fever, shot a brave 70 on day two to keep himself in the race. He closed the day in third at eight-under-136.
Himmat Rai (71) of Delhi, another round one joint leader, slipped to tied fourth at seven-under-137. He shared the fourth spot with Bengalurean M Dharma (70), Delhi-based Veer Ahlawat (70) and the Chandigarh duo of Harendra Gupta (69) and Abhijit Singh Chadha (69).
Round one joint leaders Chikkarangappa (72) of Bengaluru and Delhi’s Shamim Khan (72) occupied tied ninth at six-under-138 along with Rahil Gangjee (68).
