Home favourite S S P Chawrasia extended his lead during the early stages of the Hero Indian Open at Delhi Golf Club.
The 36 year old, a two-time winner at this venue, had produced flawless rounds of 65 and 67 to lead fellow course specialist Siddikur Rahman by one shot.
Chawrasia, who claimed both of his previous European Tour titles in India, extended that lead to two with birdies from five feet at the first and 15 feet at the second before adding three straight pars to remain 12 under par.
Bangladeshi Siddikur, who has also won here and only failed to finish in the top ten once in 11 starts over this layout, kept the gap to two by firing his approach to tap-in range at the first.
Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng, who had a hole-in-one at the fifth yesterday, was some way back in third on six under after birdieing the same hole from 20 feet today.
Chawrasia caught a huge break on the long eighth when his tee shot clattered off a tree branch down the right and bounced 40 yards forward to the edge of the fairway, but the World Number 204 failed to take advantage as he only managed a par after missing a five footer.
However, Chawrasia’s escape at the ninth owed nothing to luck; after blind-siding himself with a wayward tee shot down the left, he hacked out sideways onto the fairway, pitched to five feet and converted to remain bogey-free for the tournament through 45 holes.
Siddikur had also run up a string of pars to the turn to stay two behind, while Marksaeng had been joined in third by recent Maybank Malaysian Open winner Anirban Lahiri, who followed a birdie from 40 feet at the ninth with a bogey at the next.
Rahman ended a run of 11 straight pars with a birdie from 25 feet on the 13th, but Chawrasia followed him in from much shorter range to remain two in front at 13 under.
The leading pair were turning the event into a two-horse race despite the best efforts of Sweden's Daniel Chopra, who holed from off the green on the 18th for an eagle to complete a flawless 65.
That set the clubhouse target on six under par, albeit seven shots off the lead.
