Siddikur Rahman raced into a sizeable lead when the second round of the Hero Indian Open began at Delhi Golf Club.
The Bangladeshi, who won this event last year prior to it becoming co-sanctioned by The European Tour, resumed on the back nine after an opening 65 and mixed three birdies with a single bogey in an outward 33.
A further gain at the long first took the 30 year old – a two-time winner on the co-sanctioning Asian Tour – to nine under par for the week.
That was three clear of fellow first round leaders Joakim Lagergren, Richard T Lee and S S P Chawrasia, with only Sweden’s Lagergren having started his second round so far – following birdies at the first and fifth with consecutive bogeys at the sixth and seventh.
The fifth player to hold a share of the overnight lead, Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat, was one over for the day through 14 holes to lie fifth on five under.
Two of the star names in the field, home favourite and recent Maybank Malaysian Open winner Anirban Lahiri and evergreen Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez, had made significant progress on day two.
Playing together, 51 year old Jiménez had five birdies and two bogeys in his first 12 holes to reach four under, with Lahiri a shot further back having already carded an impressive seven gains in his second round.
