Lucerne (Switzerland), June 6 (IANS) Veer Ahlawat produced one of the finest rounds of his professional career, smashing the course record with a brilliant 10-under 61 to vault into a share of the halfway lead at the Swiss Challenge on the HotelPlanner Tour at Lucerne in Switzerland.

The Indian golfer, competing on an invitation this week, delivered a flawless bogey-free performance at Golf Sempach to join England’s Matthew Southgate at the top of the leaderboard on 12-under-par. The pair will take a one-shot advantage into the weekend over George Bloor and France’s Mathieu Decottignies-Lafon.

Ahlawat’s spectacular round underlined the quality that saw him emerge as one of India’s leading players over the last two seasons. The 30-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2024 when he finished runner-up at the Hero Indian Open and later captured the DP World PGTI Order of Merit title.

After spending the 2025 season splitting his schedule between the DP World Tour, HotelPlanner Tour, and the Indian circuit, Ahlawat arrived in Switzerland searching for momentum. He found it in emphatic fashion on Friday.

Starting on the front nine, Ahlawat wasted little time in moving up the leaderboard. He opened with a birdie on the second hole before adding consecutive gains on the third and fourth. Another birdie at the seventh helped him reach the turn in 4-under par and set the stage for an extraordinary finish.

The back nine turned into a birdie exhibition. Ahlawat caught fire from the 12th hole onward, reeling off six straight birdies to surge past the field. His remarkable run only ended with a closing par on the 18th, sealing a course-record 61 and one of the lowest rounds recorded on the HotelPlanner Tour this season.

The bogey-free effort highlighted the strength of every aspect of his game, particularly his aggressive strategy from the tee that repeatedly left him short approaches into receptive greens.

Speaking after the round, Ahlawat expressed satisfaction with both his score and his overall form. “I am really pleased with my round,” he said. “I struck the ball well throughout the day and converted some good birdie opportunities. Everything felt under control.”

The Indian added that he intends to stick with the same attacking approach over the final two rounds.

“I hit a lot of drivers today, and that allowed me to play shorter shots into the greens. The plan worked well, and I don’t see any reason to change it. I’ll continue to take it one shot at a time.”

Ahlawat also acknowledged that calm weather conditions contributed to the low scoring and expects another birdie-filled contest over the weekend.

Southgate matched Ahlawat at the top after carding a bogey-free 64. The Englishman built his challenge with a superb outward nine that featured five birdies and was equally pleased with his position heading into the final 36 holes.

While Ahlawat stole the spotlight, the other Indian players in the field were unable to progress. Arjun Prasad finished at even par after rounds of 70 and 72, while Saptak Talwar recovered from an opening 74 with a second-round 70. However, both players fell short of the cut mark, which was set at 3-under par in a tournament that has produced plenty of low scores.

With two rounds remaining, Ahlawat now finds himself in a prime position to challenge for what would be one of the biggest victories of his career. More importantly, the performance is another reminder of the talent that has made him one of India’s most promising golfers and a strong contender whenever he finds rhythm with his game.

–IANS

bsk/