Malik, who has won both his previous titles at Noida Golf Course, said, "It was good to carry the momentum from round one. I'm feeling good about my game. I hit some good shots to begin with which landed close. I lost momentum on the 11th and 13th and was not expecting much after that but got lucky with the hole out on the 16th. The course is playing tough due to the wind therefore it's not easy to score low. So I'm glad that I'm in this position."Mari Muthu (70-64), lying tied 15th and five off the lead after round one, jumped 13 places to joint second courtesy his 64 that featured 10 birdies and two bogeys. Mari Muthu, who excelled with his iron-play on day two, landed it within six feet of the flag through the day.Manu Gandas (65-69), a two-time winner on the PGTI, dropped out of the overnight joint lead with an eventful round that featured an eagle, four birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey. Gandas landed his second shot within a couple of feet of the pin for eagle on the par-5 17th. He also chipped-in for birdie on the fourth. Manu was five-under on the four par-5s for the second day in succession.
Manu said, "I didn't give myself as many chances today but I'm still quite happy with my effort as it keeps me in contention. My judgment of the speed and line on the greens has not been good. I need to work on that. I also feel that the opening stretch of the back-nine is crucial. One needs to score well over there."Chandigarh's Abhijit Singh Chadha (69) occupies fourth place at nine-under 135 while Bangladesh's Md Zamal Hossain Mollah (70) is a further shot back in fifth position.Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (72) of Chandigarh, currently ranked second on the PGTI Order of Merit, is in tied 43rd place at one-over 145.
--IANSinj
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