Joshua Berry (-10) does not care about tradition. The 19-year-old player has smashed the historic Royal Calcutta Golf Club with a scorecard of 62 strokes to seal the course record. The Englishman heads into the weekend as the tournament leader.
The course, opened in 1923 and redesigned in 1975, witnessed today how a youngster made birdies relentlessly, and he can now say he holds the best result in the course’s history. Not bad.
After signing an opening round at par, Josh was just on the cut line of the tournament. Four and a half hours after his start, with ten flawless birdies, the Englishman climbed sixty places and finished the second day at the top. Alongside him is Indian player Om Prakash Chouhan (-10).
Berry is not yet twenty and is already experiencing his second season on the DP World Tour. In his rookie year, he barely made it past three cuts in the top continental division and lost his rights after finishing the Race to Dubai beyond the 200th position. Berry did not give up and regained his DP World Tour rights thanks to his tenth place in the Final Stage of the Qualifying School. He is spicing up his season with performances on the HotelPlanner Tour since his card does not grant him access to all events, and this week there is no event on the European circuit.
His second year at the top has started very differently. Two weeks ago in Kenya, he achieved his first top ten and has already accumulated more points than the entire last season. Balancing his performances on the HotelPlanner Tour, he continues to show clear signs that he is made for big stages. Not many can say that at 19 they are experiencing their second season among the best. After the good performance in Kenya, this round confirms the great form he is in.
It has not been a day with dazzling results from any member of the Armada, but they have set the stage for a good weekend. Four Spaniards are nestled between tenth and twentieth. Quim Vidal, leader after the first round, could not maintain the pace of the first 18 holes and played one over par in the morning session in Kolkata. He heads into the weekend five strokes off the lead. With chances for everything.
One stroke behind is Adri Arnaus, who strings together his second consecutive round under par. 71 strokes with a single flawless birdie keep him in the noble zone. Albert Boneta, Lucas Vacarisas, and Santi Tarrío are also within the top 20 of the tournament and with chances for everything. The Galician started the first nine holes with two bogeys, but a birdie and an eagle turned the tables.
Those who have bid farewell to Kolkata earlier than desired are Víctor Pastor (+3) and Sebastián García (+6), who did not achieve the under-par round they needed.
All in all, the comparison with this same event just a year ago is very positive. In 2024, none of the seven Spaniards made the cut, and this time five have, and within the top twenty.
