Wales Open: SSP Chowrasia even par after two rounds

Cardiff: Indian golfer SSP Chowrasia was done in by finishing blues as he brought home a card of one-under 70 in the second round of the ISPS Handa Wales Open here today. Today’s score left Chowrasia even par after two days and just outside the top-30 with more than half the field yet to finish the second round. Chowrasia was the best Indian at the end of the first round as he found two late birdies that saw him card a round of one-over 72 on Thursday evening. [caption id=“attachment_1073655” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  SSP Chowrasia had a poor finish to his second round. AFP[/caption] Chowrasia was tied 48th, the same as Shiv Kapur (72) while Jeev Milkha Singh (76) was lagging way behind in 111th place. Kapur and Jeev were still on the course playing their second round. Beginning in the second group of the day, Chowrasia had a great start with birdies on second, third and fourth hole today. He dropped a shot on fifth but picked birdies on 11th and 12th to be four-under. A double on 14th and further bogeys on 16th and 17th holes spoilt his card despite the birdie on 15th. On the first day, Chowrasia started from the back stretch, which begins from the 11th. He had three birdies, two bogeys and a costly double on par-3 17th. Kapur had three birdies and four bogeys. Jeev struggled with five bogeys, a double and just two birdies. Meanwhile, a blistering finish from Espen Kofstad saw the Norwegian set the pace on the first day. Playing with Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley in the first group out on the day qualification for next year’s Ryder Cup, Challenge Tour winner Kofstad birdied the 15th, 16th and 17th before producing an eagle three at the last at The Celtic Manor Resort. That saw the Norwegian finish with a seven under-par 64 over the Twenty ten Course that hosted The Ryder Cup three years ago. Kofstad finished the day two clear of England’s Chris Wood and Australian Richard Green, with Tjaart Van Der Walt, Mark Foster and Gregory Bourdy on four under. McGinley had started the points race with a bogey, but recovered to shoot a one under 70 and high-fived the 26 year old Kofstad after holing a bunker shot on the last. Kofstad had a stunning finish with three birdies in a row from 15th to 17th and an eagle on 18th. He won the Challenge Tour last season but is 149th on The Race to Dubai after missing eight cuts in succession following his only top-ten finish of the year at the Open de España in April. PTI