Can N. Thangaraja Maintain His Lead at Vishwa Samudra Open 2025?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- N. Thangaraja leads the Vishwa Samudra Open 2025 with a score of six-under 66.
- The total prize for the event is INR 2 crore.
- Play was suspended for five players due to fading light.
- The tournament is part of the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI).
- The cut is likely to fall at eight-over 152.
New Delhi, Dec 10 (NationPress) Sri Lankan N. Thangaraja soared to the top of the leaderboard after recording an impressive second round score of six-under 66 at the Vishwa Samudra Open 2025 presented by Kapil Dev, a prestigious INR 2 crore event organized by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), taking place at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) in New Delhi on Wednesday.
With a score of 73-66, Thangaraja, who has clinched victory three times this year and is currently ranked fourth in the PGTI standings, increased his 36-hole aggregate to five-under 139, giving him a two-stroke lead over the competition. This performance propelled him 17 positions up from his previous tie for 18th.
The first-round leader, Jairaj Singh Sandhu (68-73), slipped to second place after a round two score of 73, leaving him at three-under 141. Meanwhile, Dhruv Sheoran (68), Yuvraj Sandhu (69) who leads the PGTI Order of Merit, Viraj Madappa (69), and Rashid Khan (70) are tied for third at two-under 142.
Play was suspended at 5:30 pm local time due to diminishing light, resulting in five players out of a total of 125 not completing their second rounds. These players are set to resume their rounds at 7:30 am on Thursday, with round three not starting before 8:15 am.
The cut is anticipated to fall at eight-over 152.
On a day filled with high scores, N. Thangaraja, who missed last week’s PGTI event in Jaipur due to severe flooding in his homeland of Sri Lanka, distinguished himself with precise tee shots, solid approaches, and adept chipping.
Thangaraja made birdies on all four Par-5 holes, successfully sinking two putts from distances ranging from 12 to 20 feet and placing his chips within five feet on four occasions.
“The floods impacted my home in Colombo, but thankfully, there was no substantial damage. Initially, I had planned not to compete in Delhi this week as my family was still working to recover. However, my wife encouraged me to participate, citing my good form. I missed about 15 days of practice due to the floods, with only one day available for practice before heading to Delhi,” Thangaraja recounted.
“Considering the circumstances, I’m quite proud of my performance this week. Transitioning from warm weather to the colder conditions in Delhi took some adjustment, but I’ve returned to striking the ball as I did weeks ago, which is evident in my performance today,” he concluded.