Jaipur, Oct 24 (NationPress) Aman Raj, who has experienced a 22-month drought without a professional win, is on the verge of breaking that streak after delivering an impressive 9-under 61 for the second day in a row at the IGPL Invitational Jaipur. This latest round was even more remarkable as it was achieved without a single bogey.

Aman Raj (61-61) has consistently finished in the Top-10 across the initial three events of the 2025 IGPL Tour, now standing at 18-under, leading by four shots over Kartik Singh (63-63), who also posted a 7-under round to reach a total of 14-under. Olympian Udayan Mane (65-62), who registered a bogey-free 8-under in his second round after an opening 65, is positioned at 13-under and needs a strong start to clinch victory in his first IGPL appearance. Mane finds himself five shots behind leader Aman Raj and one shot behind Kartik Singh.

On the final day, rookie Kartik will strive to secure his inaugural professional title, competing alongside two seasoned veterans, Aman Raj and Udayan Mane, both of whom have previously won titles on this course.

Aman Raj, a two-time champion in Jaipur, began his round on the first tee, quickly notching his first birdie. He followed up with another on the second hole, then achieved three consecutive birdies from the fifth to the seventh. After two pars, he was 4-under for the day and 13-under overall. His birdie streak continued on the 10th, and despite three pars that hinted at a possible slowdown, he closed out strong, birdying four of the last five holes to finish at 18-under.

Reflecting on his performance, Aman Raj stated, "Honestly, I started a little bit off, but a chip-in on the second helped. Then came the birdies on the fifth, sixth, and seventh. The putting touch returned on the back nine, and I holed a few to finish strong."

While monitoring his recovery from an injury, Aman mentioned, "I have to get some physiotherapy and make the body ready for tomorrow. I have been focusing on recovery and will maintain the same mindset heading into the final round."

Mane, starting from the second hole in a shotgun start, exhibited a stellar performance with five consecutive birdies from the sixth to the tenth. He added another birdie on the 14th and finished with a par on the first hole of the day.

"The game is in good shape, and I love this course. Just need to get a fast start, as Aman is playing great. It will be a good contest," remarked Udayan, who secured his pro title in Jaipur back in 2015.

Kartik Singh has emerged as a highlight of the inaugural IGPL season. The 16-year-old has achieved Top-10 placements in the first three events at Chandigarh and Jaypee Greens, sharing the lead group with Aman Raj.

Kartik scored an eagle on the Par-5 eighth hole, alongside six birdies and a single bogey on the Par-4 fifth hole. He started off strong with a birdie on the first and another on the fourth before a lone setback. After birdies on the eighth and an eagle on the ninth, he finished the front nine at 4-under. On the back nine, Kartik faced challenges with six missed putts between the 10th and 15th holes, but concluded with three consecutive birdies from the 16th to the 18th.

Shat Mishra, who had scored 8-under on day one, faced a tougher second day with an even-par 70. He managed five birdies but also recorded one bogey and two double bogeys, finishing the round at even par, now tied for 10th.

Kapil Kumar, winner of the IGPL Pune, shot a 4-under 66 and stands at 6-under overall, tied for 14th. Ridhima Dilawari, who scored 1-over 71 on the first day, made a strong recovery with a 5-under 65 on day two, which included six birdies and one bogey, leading among the women professionals in the field.

The second-best woman professional is Sneha (70-68), tied for 30th place at 2-under par. Following her are Lavanya Jadon (68-71) and Khushi Khanijau (72-67), both at 1-under par, tied for 33rd place.

Rahul Ravi (69-67) is the leading amateur, tied for 21st. Sachin Baisoya (65-63) delivered a superb, bogey-free 63, securing fourth place. Chandigarh’s Harendra Gupta (64-66) and Tushar Pannu (68-62) tied for fifth, with Pannu's round featuring six birdies and an eagle on the 18th hole, which was his 12th after starting from the 12th. Rookie pro Veer Ganapathy (66-65), Samarth Dwivedi (65-66), and M Dharma (66-65) are tied for seventh at 9-under after 36 holes.

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