Jaipur, Oct 24 (IANS) Aman Raj, who has not won a professional event in 22 months, took a step closer to ending that long drought as he shot a sensational 9-under 61 for the second consecutive day at the IGPL Invitational Jaipur. The second round, 61, was even better because it was bogey-free.

Aman Raj (61-61), who has finished in the Top-10 in each of the first three events of the 2025 IGPL Tour, is now 18-under and four shots ahead of Kartik Singh (63-63), who shot a second consecutive 7-under round to reach 14-under. Olympian Udayan Mane (65-62), who carded a bogey-free 8-under second round after an initial 65, has risen to 13-under. He needs a quick start to win in his first IGPL appearance. Mane is five shots behind leader Aman Raj and one behind Kartik Singh.

On the final day, rookie Kartik will attempt to claim his first professional title, competing alongside two seasoned stars, Aman Raj and Udayan Mane, both of whom have previously won pro titles at this course.

Aman Raj, a two-time winner in Jaipur, started his round from the first tee and quickly made his first birdie. He added another on the second hole, then scored three consecutive birdies from the fifth to the seventh. After two pars, he was 4-under for the day and 13-under overall for the week. His birdie streak continued on the 10th, and although three pars signalled a possible slowdown, he finished strong, birdying four of the last five holes to reach 18-under.

Despite a great round of 61, Aman Raj, a two-time winner in Jaipur, aiming to secure a third trophy from Pink City, said, “Honestly, I started a little bit off, but a chip-in on the second helped. Then came the birdies on the fifth, sixth, and seventh.“The putting touch came returned on the back nine, and I holed a few to finish strong.”

Still monitoring his recovering body, Aman added, “I have to get some physiotherapy and make the body ready for tomorrow. I have been working on the recovery and will have the same mindset going into the final round.”

Mane, starting from the second hole in a shotgun start, had an excellent streak that included five consecutive birdies from the sixth to the 10th. He added a sixth birdie on the 14th, followed by back-to-back gains on the 17th and 18th, and finished with a par on the first hole, which was his last of the day.

“The game is in good shape, and I love this course. Just need to get a fast start, as Aman is playing great. It will be a good contest,” said Udayan, who won his pro title in Jaipur back in 2015.

Kartik Singh was the breakthrough player of the inaugural IGPL season. The 16-year-old achieved Top-10 finishes in the first three events held in Chandigarh and Jaypee Greens, and he shared the lead group with Aman Raj.

Kartik scored an eagle on the Par-5 eighth hole, along with six other birdies and a single bogey on the Par-4 fifth hole. He began with a birdie on the first and added another on the fourth before a lone shot back. He birdied the eighth and took an eagle on the ninth, ending the front nine at 4-under. On the back nine, Kartik struggled to hole putts between the 10th and 15th holes, missing opportunities for six straight holes. However, he finished strong with three consecutive birdies from the 16th to the 18th.

Shat Mishra, who scored 8-under on the first day, had a somewhat difficult second day with an even-par 70. He managed five birdies but also dropped one bogey and two double bogeys, finishing the round at even par. He is now tied for 10th.

Kapil Kumar, winner of the IGPL Pune, shot a 4-under 66 and is now 6-under overall, tied for 14th. Ridhima Dilawari, who scored 1-over 71 on the first day, made a strong comeback with a 5-under 65 on the second day, which included six birdies and one bogey. She is the leading woman professional in the field.

The second-best woman professional is Sneha (70-68), tied for 30th place at 2-under par. Behind her are Lavanya Jadon (68-71) and Khushi Khanijau (72-67), both at 1-under par, tied for 33rd place.

Rahul Ravi (69-67) is the leading amateur in Tied-21st place.

Sachin Baisoya (65-63) scored a superb, bogey-free 63, securing sole fourth place. Chandigarh’s Harendra Gupta (64-66) and Tushar Pannu (68-62) tied for fifth, with Pannu’s round featuring six birdies and an eagle on the 18th, which was his 12th hole after starting from the 12th. Rookie pro Veer Ganapathy (66-65), Samarth Dwivedi (65-66), and M Dharma (66-65) tied for seventh at 9-under par after 36 holes.

— IANS

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