Pune, Dec 2 (Golf news) Rookie Kartik Sharma returned a sizzling nine-under 60 to take a two-shot lead on day two of the Pune Open Golf Championship here on Thursday.

Gurugram's left-handed 21-year-old Kartik (66-60), lying tied second and three shots off the lead after round one, moved his total to 13-under 126 after making 10 birdies and a bogey during his second round at the Poona Club Golf Course.

First round leader Abhijit Singh Chadha (63-65) of Chandigarh continued his impressive show with an error-free four-under 65 to be placed second with a total of 11-under 128 on a day that witnessed overcast conditions but no rain.

There was a fair distance between the top two and the rest as Bengaluru’s Syed Saqib Ahmed (64), Om Prakash Chouhan (65) of Mhow, Bangladesh’s Md Zamal Hossain Mollah (66) and Delhi’s Wasim Khan (67) were bunched together in tied third place at six-under 133.

The heavy overnight rain resulted in waterlogging in some parts of the course. As a result, hole No. 5 was reduced from a Par-4 to a Par-3. Therefore, the par for the course in round two was 69 instead of the regular 70.

Earlier in the day, the thirty players who had not completed their first round on Wednesday, came out and finished their round.

There was a one-hour delay in the commencement of play in the morning due to wet conditions.

The halfway cut was declared at four-over 143. Fifty-nine professionals and all the three amateurs in the field made the cut.

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News Source : PTI