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Bhullar Leads Indian Trio in Singapore; Only 3 Make Cut

Gaganjeet Bhullar moved into tied-third place at the Singapore Open with a 3-under 68, reaching 10-under total. He is three shots behind leader Jeongwoo Ham of Korea, who leads by two over Jazz Janewattananond. Only two other Indians, Pukhraj Gill and Karandeep Kochhar, made the cut out of 11 Indian players. Bhullar remained bogey-free for 31 holes before dropping shots on the 14th and 15th holes.

Key Points: Bhullar Leads Indians in Singapore Open Weekend

  • Gaganjeet Bhullar tied-third at 10-under
  • Only three Indians made the cut in Singapore
  • Bhullar bogey-free for 31 holes before bogeys on 14, 15
  • Korea's Jeongwoo Ham leads by two shots
3 min read

Bhullar leads IGPL trio into weekend rounds, as only 3 Indians make cut in Singapore

Gaganjeet Bhullar leads three Indians into the weekend at the Singapore Open, sitting tied-third at 10-under, three shots behind leader Jeongwoo Ham.

"I thought I played really well last year, but the scores were not coming at the right time. - Gaganjeet Bhullar"

Singapore City, April 24

Gaganjeet Bhullar, an 11-time winner on the Asian Tour and a four-time winner on the Indian Gold Premier League, put himself in contention for his maiden International Series title as he added 3-under 68 to his first round 67 and moved up to tied-third place, as per a release.

Only two other Indians, both of whom are Bhullar's colleagues on the IGPL Tour, made the cut with Pukhraj Gill (71-70) in T-38 and Karandeep Kochhar (71-71). The remaining eight players, Ajeetesh Sandhu, Shaurya Bhattacharya, Rashid Khan, Shiv Kapur, Sachin Baisoya, SSP Chawrasia and Shubham Jaglan missed the cut, and Jeev Milkha Singh retired due to injury.

Bhullar moved into contention, making two birdies in the last three holes. He was bogey-free for 31 holes - 18 in the first round and 13 in the next but dropped back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and the 15th, before picking up gains on the 16th and the 18th for a 68. At 10-under total, he is three behind the leader, Korea's Jeongwoo Ham.

Bhullar said, "I've not been playing so many events. But I mean, it feels good to be on the first page of the leaderboard, definitely feels good."

"I thought I played really well last year, but the scores were not coming at the right time. So probably this week, I'll try to do my routine, process and try and give my 100%," he added.

Korea's Ham enters the weekend of the Singapore Open as the surprise halfway leader at Sentosa Golf Club. He carded a three-under-par 68 on the formidable Serapong Course to move to 10-under for a two-shot lead over Thailand's Jazz Janewattananond.

Jazz, the champion here on this course in 2019, returned a 66, while Bhullar and Japan's Tomohiro Ishizaka share third place, another stroke behind. Bhullar and Ishizaka both shot 68s in the fourth event of the season on the Asian Tour, which is also part of The International Series.

Ham started the day in a share of the lead with Thailand's Ekpharit Wu and maintained yesterday's momentum while Wu fell away, carding a 75.

The Korean has only ever played in seven Asian Tour events outside of Korea, with a best finish of joint 29th in the International Series Japan two weeks ago. He made four birdies today, including on the par-five 18th, and dropped one shot on 15.

Despite not having tasted victory on the Asian Tour, he is a proven winner on the Korean PGA Tour, where he has won four times.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

T
Tanya I
Bhullar's consistency is commendable. Bogey-free for 31 holes shows his mental strength. But the field is getting tougher - Korea's Ham is playing some great golf. Proud of our IGPL boys though! 💪🇮🇳
R
Rahul R
I'm surprised Ajeetesh Sandhu missed the cut - he's been playing well recently. The competition in Asian Tour is getting tougher, especially with International Series events. Need more Indian youngsters to step up like Karandeep Kochhar did.
S
Sneha F
Sad to see Jeev Milkha Singh retire due to injury. He's been such an inspiration for Indian golf. Hope he recovers soon. Meanwhile, Bhullar's performance gives us hope! 🏌️‍♂️
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Abhishek O
Eight Indians missing the cut is concerning. Is our domestic tour producing enough talent for the international stage? Or is it just a bad week? Bhullar is world-class but we need more depth. The Korean and Thai players are setting new benchmarks.
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Priya S
Fantastic to see Gaganjeet Bhullar in the mix! His experience will be crucial for the weekend. But I wish more Indians were in the top 10. The Korean Ham seems like a dark horse - only 7 Asian Tour events but leading! 😮
S

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