Jeev, Jyoti take India to tied 7th

Shenzhen: Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa combined for yet another steady performance and turned in a four-under 68 to take India to the tied seventh spot after the second round of the World Cup of Golf here Friday.

The duo mixed seven birdies against three bogeys in the foursomes play, in which the players take alternate shots with the same ball, to total nine-under 135.

On the second day in a row, it was a bogey for the Indians on the second hole but the pair made amends with a birdie on the very next. Another couple of birdies followed on the seventh and ninth hole before the Indians made the turn at two-under.

The back-nine journey turned out to be topsy-turvy as Jeev and Jyoti found four birdies against two bogeys. “We are pretty pleased with the way we played today (Friday). We combined really well. We left a few shots out there but that’s part of the game. We played the par-fives really well, making birdies on all of them.

“We are going all out tomorrow (Saturday) when we revert to the four-balls as I think both of us are playing really well and we are looking forward to a low one tomorrow,” Jeev said.

Saturday’s round would be played in the better-ball or four-ball format in which each player of the team plays with his own ball until completing the hole. The lower of the two scores is recorded as the team score for that hole.

Jyoti said the format would help the Indians turn in a low card.

“Like Jeev rightly said, we combined really well. Whenever he was out, I was in… We made a few putts coming in and that changed a lot of things. I was a little jetlagged yesterday (Thursday) but now I am back to swinging the club well so we should get a low number tomorrow,” he said.

At the top of the leaderboard, the Irish team of Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy maintained their three shot lead after a four-under 68. Ireland’s two-day total stands at 18-under 126 at the halfway stage at Mission Hills, with Sweden being their nearest challengers after Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson’s brilliant 65 took the defending champions to 129.

Italy occupy the third spot, one stroke behind Sweden after a second round of 66. Japan were fourth on 11-under after a 71 with Wales (68) and Venezuela (67) sharing fifth on 10-under.

England, one of the pre-tournament favourites, shot a 69 to stand nine shots off the pace, while the Sergio Garcia-led Spanish team shot a 71 and would need to make up 14 shots on the leaders over the weekend.