It's fast turning out to be a slugfest between Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia and Digvijay Singh - the No 1 and 2 golfers on the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour.
With outstanding rounds of six-under 66 each on the second day, the two have turned the Rs 2.8 million 9Rs 28 lakh) PGAI-TSM Open, being played at the par-72 Noida Golf Club, into a battle of personal supremacy.
A victory for any of the two would ensure the Order of Merit crown for the 2003-04 season and they are perfectly placed at the halfway stage.
Chowrasia was 12-under 132 after his second successive 66, while Digvijay was a stroke behind at 133. Adding to the heat was the presence of Ashok Kumar, currently No 5 on the Money List but in with a chance to win the Order of Merit following a victory. The youngster shot a 66 to be fourth at eight-under 136, one stroke behind Rafiq Ali of Kolkata, another player who took Route 66 today.
Despite the searing heat, the halfway cut in the richest tournament in last three seasons at the Hero Honda Indian Golf Tour fell at 4-over 148 and as many as 57 pros advanced to the money-making stage. They will be joined by four amateurs, with Jasjeet Singh of GAIL and Anitya Chand of Indian Oil Corporation leading the pack at even-par 144.
The slightly built Chowrasia, known more for his short game skills, wielded his new Cleveland Launcher 460 driver to deadly effect. Starting from the 10th with a scrambled par, he never once looked in trouble. He missed just two fairways - on the 18th and ninth - and he made his only bogey on the 18th. He converted the ninth into a miraculous birdie where he almost holed his low hooked 8-iron shot from under the trees for an eagle, before converting the three-footer for birdie.
"It would be great if I can finish the season as the top-ranked golfer of India. I have worked very hard for this. But I am not jumping ahead of myself because there are still 36 holes to be played. My biggest motivation to win the Order of Merit crown is the fact that it will give me a chance to represent India at the World Cup," said the L'Oro-sponsored golfer.
Digvijay, who needs to win here to absolutely make sure of the Order of Merit crown, started brightly with birdies on the first and second holes. He made only two bogies, the first of which came on the fifth and the other came on the 15th, where he duckhooked his tee shot after slipping on the tee area.
Otherwise, the DLF Golf & Country Club Ambassador slotted in eight birdies, which included two monster putts - a 30-footer on the sixth and a 40-footer on the tenth.
"For me, more important than the No 1 rank is the fact that I win the tournament. That would give me more satisfaction anyday. I know that if I play well, others will have a tough time getting the better of me," said Digvijay, winner of Surya Nepal Masters and SRF Matchplay this season.
Scores (after 36 holes): 132 _ Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia (66,66); 133 _ Digvijay Singh (67,66), 135 _ Rafiq Ali (69,66); 136 _ Ashok Kumar (70,66); 137 _ Harmeet Kahlon (69,68), Shamim Khan (68,69), Uttam Singh Mundy (67,70); 138 _ Mukesh Kumar (69,69), Gurbaaz Mann (67,71); 140 _ Gaurav Ghei (72,68), Feroz Ali (70,70), Amit Dube (68,72), Indrajit Bhalotia (68,72); 141 _ Shiv Prakash (72,69), Ranjit Singh (72,69), Harinder Gupta (72,69); 142 _ Vinod Kumar (72,70), Sachin Nigade (71,71), Toran Shahi (70,72); 143 _ C Muniyappa (74,69), Mohd Nawab (74,69), Jaiveer Virk (74,69), Arjun Singh (70,73), Akbar Ali (69,74), Jumman (72,71); 144 _ Mohd Maqbool (71,73), Raj Kumar (70,74), Anitya Chand (Am) (73,71), Jasjeet Singh (Am) (73,71), Ali Sher (71,73), Dinesh Raghuvanshi (70,74), Suleiman Ali (68,76).
