Muscat, Feb 11 (PTI) Veteran Jyoti Randhawa, who is over 50, is still going strong as he was the best placed Indian at tied 12th place alongside 10-time Asian Tour winner Gaganjeet Bhullar, at the halfway stage of the USD 2 million International Series Oman golf tournament here.

Randhawa shot 70 on the first day added 74 in the second round, while Bhullar has rounds of 72-72. They are now even par for 36 holes and four shots behind Takumi Kanaya, one of Japan’s exciting young prospects.

Kanaya (69-71), the former world number one ranked amateur, led despite the wind getting progressively stronger and blowing the field off course at Al Mouj Golf.

Seven Indians made the cut, while three missed out.

Progressing with Randhawa and Bhullar into the final two rounds were Shiv Kapur (72-74) and SSP Chawrasia (75-71), who are tied 23rd.

Rashid Khan (70-77) at 3-over total is tied 33rd while S Chikkarangappa recovered very well from his first round 77 to shoot 71 and was tied 50th at 4-over for two rounds. Also making the cut was Honey Baisoya (74-76), who made the cut at 6-over.

The Indians missing the cut were Karandeep Kochhar (75-76), Veer Ahlawat (76-77) and Jeev Milkha Singh (78-78).

Randhawa starting from the 10th played a steady back nine with a birdie on 10th and eight pars in a row. On the second nine he dropped shots on the first, fourth and ninth and finished at 2-over 74.

Bhullar began on the first and had a rocky front nine with two birdies and two bogeys within first six holes. He then played 12 pars in a row for 72.

Another up and coming Japanese player Ryo Hisatsune, who also competed in the morning, is one shot back after carding a 70. They were two of only nine players to break par on a truly testing day.

The scores in the afternoon went high as wind speeds were close to 30km per hour at times and made scoring difficult.

Canada’s Yonggu Shin, the first round leader with 66, fell after a second round 76 and is in share of the third place with Chilean Joaquin Niemann, Australia’s Zach Murray and Berry Henson from the United States.

Niemann showed his class by firing a 70 in the afternoon while Murray and Henson, who also played later, returned rounds of 72 and 73 respectively.

Source: PTI News