Rahul Bakshi moves up to third place

New Delhi, Oct 30 (UNI) Rahul Bakshi birdied his way into contention with a 69 in the second round of the Faldo Series Grand Finals being held in Brazil.

After a first round 73, Rahul came back strongly on the second day, shooting five biridies and an eagle but four bogeys meant that he finished three under par for the round.

He moved to third position, just four shots behind the leader with a combined two day total of 142. He is also leading the U-18 age group category.

According to the information received here, the other Indian in contention, Rashid Khan had another poor outing, shooting an 81 which snuffed his chances of leaving a mark in the Grand Finals.

He could only manage a solitary birdie in a card full of bogeys and double bogeys.

Just three shots astray, Rahul stands a good chance of finishing on top of the pack and earning himself an amateur invite for an European Tour event.

The young Indian will be looking for a good start tomorrow to catch up with the leader, England's James Watts.

Following a 73 on day one, 20 year-old Watts was the only player in the field to keep a bogey off his card during his 65 and now lies on 138 three strokes clear of the nearest competitor.

Scores: 1. James Watts (138); 2. Steven Brown (141); 3. Rahul Bakshi(142); 4. Andrew Palmer, Andrew Wallace (144); 39. Rashid Khan (160).

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