FIJI:
Rahil Gangjee
continued to be the top Indian at the
Fiji International
as he added a round of 72 to his first round 69 to be placed tied 12th with a total of three-under 141, on Friday.
Shubhankar Sharma (75-71) also made the cut at two-over 146, while
S Chikkarangappa
(74-77) missed it.
Reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, Scott Hend of Australia took advantage of his blistering form to sign for a six-under 66 and grab a share of the halfway lead.
Hend overcame a five-shot deficit to sit atop the leaderboard alongside countryman
Jason Norris
(68), Malaysia's Gavin Green (69) and overnight leader Daniel Pearce (71) of New Zealand. All of them are on seven-under-par 137 total at the Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course.
Gangjee said, "I didn't make any putts today. I made only one for par and that was it. That was the main difference for me today but I still stay patient out there. I keep telling myself that it will come to me.
"I missed a lot of birdie chances out there. I played decently and gave myself a lot of opportunities but didn't manage to convert anything.
"I had a two putt on 17 for birdie and that was it. I putted in from about 35 to 40 feet at the edge of the green. It was not as windy as it was yesterday. The winds were slightly different too, especially in the morning when I started. It was coming from different directions. It got me thinking a little bit."
The 44-year-old Hend drilled in a monstrous 65-footer for an eagle on the par-five first and added three birdies to cap a brilliant front nine of 31.
He traded two birdies against a bogey on his way home to move into a share of the lead.
The leading quartet holds a two-shot advantage over Australian trio Adam Bland, David McKenzie and Peter Wilson, who returned with identical 71s to share fifth place, at the A$1.5 million (approximately $1.14 million) event.
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