Digvijay Singh was a picture of dignity as he discussed his swing and how it was a point of serious concern. But much as he tried to keep a calm exterior, the anxiety was unmistakable. And had he not been conversing with a band of relative strangers, the man could well have echoed veteran US pro Lee Trevino's words: “My swing is such that I look like a caveman killing his lunch.”
But Digvijay hung on and even moved up a spot from his overnight joint third to be a stroke shy of leader Gaganjeet Bhullar after Day II of the DLF Masters.
Despite missing several close putts, especially on the back nine, Digvijay ensured he did enough to return a card of four-under to be seven-under 137 and stay among the contenders for the weekend at the DLF Golf & Country Club.
It was a day that saw some hectic activity atop the leaderboard. In a bid to make it three in a row, Jyoti Randhawa belied his expectations and made a strong surge towards the summit. Tied 11th on Thursday, a four-under for the day meant he was tied for the third spot with Shamim Khan among others at five-under 139. “My hitting was much better today and the two attributes that came in good stead were patience and experience. In fact, a big confidence booster was when I managed to par the 7th after finding the bushes on the right,” said Jyoti.
If Digvijay and Jyoti set themselves up for the weekend, working his way up in his usual quiet manner was Shamim, who along with Nepal's Toran Bikram Shahi, recorded Friday's best of six-under. Obviously, the steep climb of 24 places to joint third left the normally reticent Delhi Golf Club player bubbly. “Six birdies and no bogeys,” was the emphatic reply as he watched a crestfallen Mukesh Kumar leave the tournament office after missing the cut for the first time since the formation of the Professional Golf Tour of India three years ago. The cut was applied at five-over 149.
{{/usCountry}}If Digvijay and Jyoti set themselves up for the weekend, working his way up in his usual quiet manner was Shamim, who along with Nepal's Toran Bikram Shahi, recorded Friday's best of six-under. Obviously, the steep climb of 24 places to joint third left the normally reticent Delhi Golf Club player bubbly. “Six birdies and no bogeys,” was the emphatic reply as he watched a crestfallen Mukesh Kumar leave the tournament office after missing the cut for the first time since the formation of the Professional Golf Tour of India three years ago. The cut was applied at five-over 149.
{{/usCountry}}Unmindful of the action around him, Bhullar went about acquiring the spot that he's beginning to be associated with, at least on the domestic circuit. Another card of four-under may have opened up a slender lead, but the 21-year-old was in no mood to slacken pace. Having struck the ball to some jaw-dropping distances through the day, the mood was belligerent.