Gaganjeet Bhullar reminded the field of his pedigree on moving day at the IGPL Invitational Ahmedabad, producing a composed and clinical second-round effort to surge into contention.
The seasoned Indian pro carded a 5-under 67, climbing from overnight T-14 to T-3 at 6-under, positioning himself just one shot behind the leading international duo of Manav Shah and Santiago de la Fuentes. Bhullar, who opened the week with a solid 1-under featuring a hole-in-one, found his rhythm midway through Round 2. After a steady start, he accelerated with four birdies in his final eight holes, finishing the day with six birdies and a lone bogey.
His sharp iron play and the ability to convert from inside 15 feet once again marked him out as a player capable of turning momentum quickly a trait that has delivered him multiple titles across Asia.
At 6-under, he sits one behind Indian-American Manav Shah, who shot a bogey-free 67 to reach 7-under, and Mexico’s Santiago de la Fuentes, who posted a second-round 70. A victory for either Shah or Fuentes would be historic neither an American nor a Mexican has yet won in the inaugural IGPL season, and this event could produce the Tour’s first international champion.
For Bhullar, however, the narrative is different. Already India’s winningest player on the Asian Tour, he is chasing a third win of the IGPL season after lifting titles in Chandigarh and Jaypee Greens earlier in the year. His return to the domestic tour after a six-event gap during which he competed on the International Series and spent time with family has been smooth, and a win on Thursday would make him the first player to claim three IGPL titles. Only Aman Raj has managed two wins so far.
Sharing third place with Bhullar is young rookie Raghav Chugh, who shot a composed 68 to join him at 6-under. Chugh’s round was an impressive demonstration of resilience. After dropping to 2-over through five holes, he sparked a spectacular turnaround with an eagle on the par-4 sixth. A birdie on the eighth pulled him back into red figures before three more birdies on the back nine completed an excellent fightback.
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At the top, Manav Shah looked in total control throughout the round. A former winner on the PGA Tour Latinoamérica, Shah made one birdie on the front nine and four more on the inward stretch, avoiding mistakes and maintaining steady pace on the slick Ahmedabad greens.
Fuentes, a former Latin America Amateur Champion who has competed in Majors, signed for a 70 that included five birdies, highlighted by a late burst on the 16th and 17th holes, offset by three bogeys that prevented him from pulling away.
The second round also saw fortunes shift for overnight leader Veer Ganapathy, who had electrified the field with an 8-under 64 on Day 1. Struggling to maintain that momentum, he posted 3-over, falling back to T-5 at 5-under. He shares that position with Karandeep Kochhar, who carded a steady 69.
Three players Indian-American Varun Chopra (68), teen star Kartik Singh (70) and Filipino Justin Quiban (70) sit tied for seventh. Veteran SSP Chawrasia (72) and Sachin Baisoya (73) round off the top-10 at 3-under. Among women, Ridhima Dilawari continued her consistent run, shooting an even-par 72 to finish at 1-under, placing her T-13 overall and the top female performer of the day. She is joined by M Dharma (71), Aalaap IL (73) and Yashas Chandra (73) at that mark.
Aman Raj, the IGPL Order of Merit leader, endured a quiet second round and sits T-17 at even par, alongside Pukhraj Singh Gill and Saarthak Chibber.
With a tightly packed leaderboard and several proven winners within striking distance, the final round promises a compelling finish in Ahmedabad.
