Gupta, the round one leader shot four under 65 to take his tournament total to seven under 98. Round two could not be completed today as play started two hours behind schedule due to the course conditions after the overnight rain.

Twenty seven players are yet to finish the second round out of a total field of 108. While Gupta led the field among the 81 golfers who finished round two, Ashok Kumar was three strokes behind him in second place. Ashok’s total moved to four under 101 after he carded two under 67 in the second round.

Today, the par for the course was 69 as three par four holes, the ninth, 10th and 16th were reduced to par 3 at the start of the round due to course conditions. The second round will now be completed tomorrow morning before the cut is made. The third round will commence thereafter.

Gupta made it to the top of the leaderboard as a result of his bogey-free 65. He had fired three under 33 in the first round. Gupta’s second round included birdies on the seventh, 12th, 14th and 15th.

“My hitting and putting was excellent today. I have recently worked on my irons which seemed to pay-off today. I was particularly happy with a long 26 feet putt that I made today for a birdie on the 12th. I hope to continue my good form over the next two days,” said Gupta.

Delhi’s Ashok Kumar (34, 67), currently placed second at four under 101, will certainly give Gupta a run for his money over the weekend. Ashok’s second round was punctuated by birdies on the third, ninth, 16th and a bogey on the 18th.

He said, “A lot depends on my putting from here on as I was finding it difficult to read the speed of the greens. However, my hitting was good as I hit most of the fairways.”

Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee (34, 69) and Chandigarh’s Ranjit Singh (35, 68) are currently tied third at two under 103. Gangjee’s round of even par 69 was marked by birdies on the first, second, fourth, sixth, 15th, 18th and bogeys on the third and 10th.

Ranjit Singh from Kolkata, Vishal Singh, Chiragh Kumar, Digvijay Singh, Manav Jaini, Dayal Singh, Anirban Lahiri and Rahul Ganapathy are all in tied fifth place with an identical total of one under 104.