Johannesburg, April 17 (NationPress) Udayan Mane showcased his exceptional skills by starting the tournament with a stunning 7-under 65, and he raised the bar even higher on the second day with an impressive 8-under 64, which featured a remarkable hole-in-one during the second round at the IGPL Invitational South Africa.

Competing at the legendary Royal Johannesburg’s West Course, Olympian Mane maintained a bogey-free performance for the second consecutive day, bringing his total to 15-under par, making him the only player currently in double digits under par.

Mane is now leading by a significant six strokes as he aims for his first AM Green IGPL title. Following closely in a tied second position are three determined players: Manav Shah (scores of 65-70), Pukhraj Singh Gill (66-69), and Gaganjeet Bhullar (67-68). Each of them is aware that catching up to the focused and in-form Mane will be a challenging endeavor.

Local South African talent Musiwalo Nethunzwi (69-67) sits in fifth place, while rookie professional Danish Verma (70-67) shares the sixth position with another South African golfer, Alessio Graziani (72-65).

Milind Soni, one of the three first-day leaders, encountered difficulties mid-round with a bogey-double bogey on the 11th and 12th holes, finishing with a score of 73 and dropping to a tied eighth position alongside Raghav Chugh (69-69) and Karandeep Kochhar (67-71), all at a total of 6-under.

Last week’s runner-up, Veer Ganapathy (70-70), is tied for 11th with Harshjeet Singh Sethie (70-70), Varun Parikh (70-70), and left-handed Kartik Sharma (69-71), all at 4-under.

The overall scoring has been quite favorable, with 27 players achieving par or better after 36 holes, and one more round remains.

Among the women, Mannat Brar (74-69) is the highest-placed at T-21, while Vidhatri Urs (72-72) has slipped to T-25.

Starting his second day on the Par-5 first hole, Mane opened with an eagle and followed it up with a hole-in-one on the Par-3 fifth, quickly reaching 4-under. Two additional two-shot gains within five holes propelled Mane further ahead.

A birdie on the ninth hole saw him turn in 5-under. Three more birdies on the back nine resulted in a stellar 8-under card, elevating him to a total of 15-under.

Following a third-place finish in Mauritius, Mane's game appears sharp. Known for his powerful drives, the well-built Mane is also benefiting from an improved short game.

Manav Shah, who performed well in the initial event in Chandigarh, continued his momentum with a 65 on day one. He birdied the first, fourth, and seventh holes, reaching 3-under for the front nine. Although he added a fourth birdie, three dropped shots in four holes due to uncharacteristic mistakes hindered his progress. He managed to close with a 70 in the second round, totaling 9-under, yet remains six strokes behind.

Gill was 4-under for the front nine but faced two bogeys on the back nine, though he finished with a birdie on the 18th, which was among the day's easier holes.

Bhullar is always a contender in any tournament, particularly in the AM Green IGPL. With three event victories to his name, including one in 2026, he followed his 67 on Day 1 with a 68 to stay in contention. He recognizes that while he is six strokes behind, the course can yield low scores, meaning a strong performance from him combined with a couple of mistakes from Mane could shift the dynamics.

Mane's hole-in-one marked the first of the tournament and generated significant excitement. Later in the day, Ranjit Singh also produced an ace on the Par-3 16th, although he ended the day in T-17th place with a total of 2-under (69-73).

Defending champion Sachin Baisoya faced a challenging day with back-to-back bogeys on the third and fourth holes, followed by a double bogey on the tenth, finishing with a 2-over 74 and T-17. He has the potential to break into the Top 10 with a solid final round.

In the team competition, despite Mane’s exceptional play, Green Fuels Hyderabad leads thanks to strong contributions from all four players—Shah, Verma, Graziani, and Soni. With the top two scores counted each day, Green Fuels stands at 18-under, ten shots clear of Atri Mumbai, which includes Mane. The third-place team, Honer Gurugram, is led by Pukhraj Singh Gill.