Shamim, Ranjit grab lead

Shamim Khan of India swings one on way to scoring a six-under-par (66) during the second round of the bti International Golf Championship at the Kurmitola Golf Club yesterday. PHOTO: STAR

India's Shamim Khan and Ranjit Singh stole the lead from Bangladesh's Jamal Hossain Mollah and Mohammad Sayum at the end of the second day of the bti International Golf Championship which is being held at the Kurmitola Golf Club in Dhaka. Shamim shot six-under-par (66) while Ranjit shot four-under-par (68) as both the Indians sat on top at eight-under-par (136).
Shamim played a great round of golf as he hit three consecutive birdies on the third, fourth and fifth holes, followed by two more on the seventh and eight. With only one bogey on the tenth in the back nine and two more birdies on thirteenth and seventeenth, Shamim was sitting pretty at the top.
Jamal slipped to second place shooting a two-under-par (70) for an aggregate of seven-under-par (137). Bangladesh's amateur golfer Mohammad Nazim played four-under-par (68) to take the joint third position at six-under-par (138), along with Bangladesh's Sayum and India's Raju Ali Mollah.
The halfway cut was made at eight-over-par (152) with 38 players, including five Indians and one Nepalese, making it through.