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Angad Cheema holds firm on tough day
Angad Cheema braved swirling wind to jump to T2 as Yannik Paul maintains solo lead
"Do you really want to talk to me?" Shubhankar Sharma's earnest query sounded a bit out of place considering the young Indian is almost never short of media attention. A fall of nine places -- from tied-fourth overnight to tied-13--on Day 2 of Hero Indian Open though can very well explain the quizzical look on Sharma who, minutes after missing the birdie putt on the 18th, was seen polishing his putting on the range with long-time coach Jesse Grewal.
"Sometimes, it is important to get things out of the system as soon as possible. It is important to leave the course with a good feeling, so I thought of ironing out a few issues," he said. Sharma hit just two birdies compared to the six he nailed a day before. He also made four bogeys to end Round 2 two-over, finishing with an overall score of two-under 144.
"It was a tough finish. The winds were not heavy but they were swirling all the time. You couldn't really know if the wind was helping or hurting or going sideways," he said.
Angad Cheema, however, managed to tame the course for a second consecutive day, moving up from tied fourth to tied second. The 33-year-old ended the day five under, missing the birdie putt after the ball swerved around the lip but refused to go in.
“I had a lip-out on the 18th, but it is going to happen to everyone on this golf course and you have to take it. It is a testing course, without a doubt. The key is to stay patient. You can't just attack a birdie hole here," Cheema said.
Turning pro in 2013, Cheema had a bright start to his career, winning the PGTI Feeder Tour in Jaipur and Dialog Enterprise International in Colombo in the same year. However, he has remained winless ever since, the trophy drought extending into a tenth year. There have been consistent top-10 finishes though and five top-10s last year placed him 11th on the PGTI Order of Merit.
"Yes, it's tough when you're down and have to actually pick yourself up and try and go out there and play. I am yet to win a big event and hopefully, things work out for me here," said Cheema.
Like Sharma, Cheema attributed the testing day to the swirling wind. "There were no strong winds as such but because of the tall buildings around the course, the wind swirls. It's a lot trickier on the front five or six holes."
Born into an army family, Cheema's father, the late Brigadier AS Cheema, introduced him to golf at age 13 at the famed Wellington Golf Course in Coonoor. After dabbling with badminton and chess, the teenager finally settled on golf. "It was the only sport that I truly loved. My father used to walk the course with me. He was a passionate golfer and my first inspiration. Jyoti Randhawa and Jeev Milkha Singh have also had a great impact on me," Cheema remembered.
Honey Baisoya, placed second on Day 1, ended the day tied-sixth while Yuvraj Sandhu finished tied-eighth. Manu Gandas, Yashas Chandra, Veer Ahlawat, and the veteran trio of SSP Chawrasia, Shiv Kapur, and Gaganjeet Bhullar also made the cut.
The day, however, belonged to Yannik Paul who made just one bogey on the testing day. The German, who finished second at last week's Thailand Open, held his overnight solo lead to end the day at 10 under 134.
