Sri Lankan N. Thangaraja shot a superb nine-under-63 to storm into the halfway lead at the season-ending Rs 1.5-crore Tata Steel Tour Championship at the Golmuri golf course on Friday.
The 38-year-old from Colombo enjoys a one-shot lead at 15-under-129. Indian stars Gaganjeet Bhullar and SSP Chawrasia produced scores of 64 and 67, respectively to share second place at 14-under-130 along with Calcutta’s Shankar Das (66).
Thangaraja (66-63), tied ninth and four off the lead after round one, was in fine ball-striking form and hit his 3-wood tee shots with precision to go error-free on a windy day.
The Lankan, a three-time winner on the PGTI, was off to a blazing start as he claimed birdies on the first four holes with all his putts being within three feet. Thereafter, he came up with a splendid approach from 230 yards on the par-5 ninth that set up a four-feet eagle conversion.
“I was exceptional with the 3-wood today as I’ve been this whole season. It is my biggest strength as of now. I’m hardly using the driver on the tee. I had a lot of control with the 3-wood today and that helped me score well,” Thangaraja said.
