Johnnie Walker Classic: Shiv Kapur in joint lead, Randhawa tied third

Shiv Kapur rode on a blemish free seven-under 67 to shoot into joint lead while Jyoti Randhawa also sizzled with a flawless 67 to be tied for the third spot as 11 Indians made the cut at the $ 2.5 million Johnnie Walker Classic in Gurgaon on Friday.

Australian Unho Park shared the lead with Shiv after turning in a six-under 66 and the duo was tied with a total of 10-under 134.

However, in a major disappointment, Indian Masters champion SSP Chowrasia and overnight joint leader Shamim Khan missed the cut after carding one-over 73 and four-over 76 respectively.

Ashok Kumar, C Muniyappa, Vijay Kumar, Vivek Bhandari and Harmeet Kahlon were the other Indians to fall by the wayside. 

The other bigwigs who would be missing the weekend action are Scot Colin Montgomerie and flamboyant English Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter.

The day belonged to Shiv and Randhawa as they set the DLF Golf and Country Club on fire with their near-perfect putting. 

Shiv, who has been battling flu all through the week, was in splendid touch and started off with a second hole birdie before gaining another shot on fourth.

The two birdies were followed by an eagle on the fifth and another birdie on the eighth as Shiv made the turn five under.

Shiv kept up the fine form in the back nine as well and picked a shots on the 14th and 16th to end a brilliant day in the greens.

"I putted pretty well... rolled the ball well. I stayed patient and the putter was hot today," Shiv, who has still not fully recovered, said after his round.

"My caddie said the best energizer is a birdie. One birdie will carry you through the next two holes while one bogey is enough to snuff out air from your lungs. It was overall good golf played consistently," he added.

Randhawa has a total of nine-under 135 and the the 33-year-old player said the key to his fine show on Friday was solid putting.

"I think it's a great round and I am really happy. I just tried to play the game. I just wanted to go out there and have fun and do the best that I could with my game. That helped. That was great," he said.

"I think I putted quite well. I hit a few iron shots good too. I think overall it was putting. Yesterday, the putting wasn't that hot but today the putter got hot and I made a lot of putts. That was the key," he added, summing up his day. 

Teeing off at the 10th, Randhawa gave a glimpse of the things to come at the par-three 11th hole with a perfectly hit seven-iron that landed straight into the greens and the he made full use of the opportunity by striking an aggressive putt that earned him his first birdie.

After picking a couple of more shots on the 15th and 17th holes, Randhawa made the turn for what turned out be an even better front nine.