Ahmedabad, March 13 Brijesh Kumar and Jhared Hack returned scores of three-under 69 and two-under 70 respectively to emerge joint leaders on the second day of the Indorama Ventures Open Golf Championship here on Friday.
Brijesh Kumar (68-69) and Jhared Hack (67-70) were tied for the lead with a total score of seven-under 137. While Indian golfer Brijesh mixed five birdies with two bogeys to move up from his overnight tied third place, American golfer Hack made four birdies and two bogeys to move up from his overnight second position.
Dhruv Sheoran shot a second consecutive 69 to finish in third place with a score of six-under 138.
The quartet consisting of India's Saptak Talwar, Frenchmen Clement Sordet and Pierre Pineau, and Austria's Christoph Bleier, were tied for fourth place with a score of five-under 139.
Round one leader Rashid Khan slipped to tied eighth place with a score of four-under 140 after he carded a 74 in round two.
The cut was at four-over 148. Sixty-two professionals made the cut.
The highlight of Brijesh's round was his 20-foot birdie conversion on the 18th hole.
"I hit my tee shots with great precision today, which helped me reach most fairways. I also played well around the greens. Winning on the NexGen last season gave me a lot of confidence, and now my goal is to win on the DP World PGTI. It will be important for me to maintain this rhythm and aim to finish well," Brijesh said.
Hack, the winner of the season's first event, made a couple of conversions from a range of 15 to 30 feet and scored birdies on two out of the four Par-5 holes.
He said, "I putted well in round one and drove well today. The hot weather here in Ahmedabad is similar to Las Vegas and Florida, where I have played a lot of golf, so I am accustomed to these conditions. It's a great golf course, one of the best I've played in India so far. I'm pleased with my position and look forward to competing this week."