Jeev, Atwal well-placed

Jeev Milkha Singh and Arjun Atwal, the two premier Indian golfers trying to make it to the US PGA Tour, raised hopes of making it to the final stage of the Qualifying School with vastly improved performances on the second day of the second stage of the Q-School tournament, now under way at various golf courses in the United States.

According to reports from Black Horse Course in Seaside, California, the Hero Honda Motors-sponsored Jeev was tied for the fifth place at three-under 141, while Atwal was in joint 23rd place at two-over 146. The top-21 players will qualify for the final stage of the PGA Tour Q-School from Black Horse.

Also gaining ground was Daniel Chopra, who honed his golfing skills in India. The Swede, winner of the inaugural Honda-Siel PGA Championship, shot a four-under 68 at Stonebridge Country Club in McKinney, Texas, and was tied for the 16th place at two-under 142. The top-20 players from this venue will make it to the final stage.

Jeev, who qualified for the final stage last year but could only get a limited exemption to the Buy.com Tour, opened with a level-par 72 on Tuesday, despite getting no practice on the course after a dash from halfway across the world in Japan, where he finished tied 42nd in the Bridgestone Open on Sunday.

The Chandigarh pro began the second day tied for the 19th place but moved up to tied fifth after a brilliant round of three-under 69. Jeev's was the second best card of the day at Black Horse after Ted Purdy's four-under 68. Purdy, a familiar face to Indian golf fans because of his 1997 Hero Honda Masters triumph, was joint second at five-under 139. Gary Hallberg of Colorado was the leader at the venue after two rounds, aggregating six-under 138.

Atwal, winner of this year's Caltex Singapore Masters, a joint-sanctioned event of the Asian and European PGA Tours, bounced back into contention after shooting a one-under-par 71. This followed his opening-round 75, which saw him languishing at the 44th place after day one.