CIDCO Open: Ahlawat fires 65 again, builds three-shot lead

Navi Mumbai, Dec 17 (PTI) Veer Ahlawat fired a second straight six-under 65 to open up a three-shot lead in round two of the CIDCO Open, here Wednesday.

The 2024 PGTI Order of Merit champion Ahlawat (65-65) matched his course record score from round one to total 12-under 130 at the halfway stage and extended his overnight lead.

Italy’s Michele Ortolani (67-66) brought in a bogey-free card of five-under 66 to move from overnight tied second to lone second position at a total of nine-under 133.

American Koichiro Sato (67-68) occupied third place at seven-under 135.

The cut fell at four-over 146. Fifty-one professionals made the cut.

Ahlawat, the leader by two shots after round one, put together seven birdies and a bogey. He made birdies on all the four Par-5 holes. Veer also converted a 20-footer for birdie and set up two tap-ins for birdie.

"I hit a lot of good tee shots and approaches and I’ve been executing my plans well. I capitalized on the scoring opportunities on the Par-5s and the shorter Par-4s today. I feel I’ve been in a good rhythm since round one and continued that momentum today," said Ahlawat.

"Playing in the morning session today, I felt the course played a little longer in the morning due to the slightly colder weather. However, there was no wind today so that created more scoring opportunities. I made a great par-save from a tough position on the 18th that helped me end my round on a positive note." PTI AT AT KHS