DGC Open golf: Veer Ahlawat leads after second round, Gaganjeet Bhullar recovers

The Asian Tour event began on Thursday and will conclude on Sunday. Ahlwawat leads with a score of nine-under.

2 minBy Utathya Nag
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(Getty Images)

Indian golfer Veer Ahlawat emerged as the surprise leader after round 2 of the DGC Open 2022 concluded at Delhi Golf Club’s revamped Lodhi course on Friday.

The 25-year-old Veer Ahlawat usurped countryman Shankar Das and Australia’s Travis Smyth, the joint leaders from round 1, to top the leaderboard with a score of nine-under 135 (68+67).

This is the first time Veer Ahlawat made the cut at the Asian Tour 2022-23. He failed to progress at the Saudi International, Royal’s Cup and the International Series Thailand earlier this season.

In Delhi, Veer Ahlawat was tied third after round one – one shot behind Das and Smyth.

Smyth and Das both slipped down at the end of round 2. While Smyth dropped down to T7 alongside Karandeep Kochhar with four-under. Das is T12 with three-under alongside former Asian Games medallist Rashid Khan.

One player who made rapid strides in round 2, however, was Gaganjeet Bhullar, a nine-time winner on the Asian Tour. The 33-year-old had a forgettable round 1, finishing T40 with one over 73.

Bhullar, who finished T5 at the International Series Thailand earlier this month, turned things around splendidly in round 2 to card a six under and rose to T4 with a total score of five-under 139 (73+66).

Bhullar now trails second-placed Ajeetesh Sandhu of India and third-placed Nitithorn Thippong of Thailand by two and three shots, respectively.