On a day when fortunes swung on the leader board with Sri Lankan Mithun Perera leaping into the joint lead later in the day with a round of seven-under-65 and Delhi golfer Rashid Khan matching the course record with a round of eight-under-64, Chandigarh golfer Karandeep Kochhar kept his charge to win the title with a round of five-under-67 to be the joint leader with Perera in the Second Jeev Milkha Singh Invitational presented by Take Solutions played at Chandigarh Golf Course.

20-year-old Kochhar, who teed off in the morning session and started his round from the front-nine as compared to his first round starting from back-nine, sank five birdies in the second round and his only blemish in the tournament had come in the form of a bogey on Thursday.

“I made a slow start today but the par save on the fourth hole helped me getting my rhythm. The early morning start meant that the ball was travelling slower and the course was playing bit longer. So it was important to not drop any shop initially. The club selection was important and once I settled, I was confident of continuing my form. The three successive birdies on the 12th, 13th and 14th hole came from putts less than six feet and good iron play was the key for me today,” shared Kochhar after the round.