Shubhankar slips to T-19, Lahiri misses cut

Gurugram, March 29

Shubhankar Sharma slipped down the leaderboard to tied-19th, while former champion Anirban Lahiri missed the cut in the Indian Open here today.

Julian Suri, an Indian-American who hails from the family that started the famous Buchi Babu cricket tournament in India, fired a second consecutive 67 to take the lead. Suri, who was born in the US to an Indian father and a Mexican mother, is playing just his second event of the season after undergoing surgery on an abdominal hernia.

Suri, who missed the cut last year, holds a two-shot lead over South Africa’s George Coetzee (66) and Sweden’s Robert Karlsson (68). Sharma and Rashid Khan led a group of eight Indians into the weekend rounds. Sharma shot a 1-over 73, while Khan shot a 72 to be 2-under after two rounds. S Chikkarangappa (74-70) and Rahil Gangjee (70-74) are tied-41st, Ajeetesh Sandhu (74-71) is tied-53rd, and Gaganjeet Bhullar (72-74), Gaurav Pratap Singh (73-73) and two-time winner SSP Chawrasia are tied-61st.

The former champions who missed the cut were Lahiri (77-71), Bangladesh’s Siddikur Rehman (76-72), Australia’s David Gleeson (84-83) and Jyoti Randhawa ( 76-74). — PTI