Vijay Kumar emerges second round leader

Vijay Kumar fired a flawless six-under par 66 to take a one-shot lead after the second round of the Indian Open on Friday.

Kumar, one of the leading golfers on India's domestic tour for a decade, made all 18 greens in regulation to take command of the Asian PGA tour event with a total of eight-under 136.

American Andrew Pitts was seven-under 137 after following up his five-under 67 on Thursday with a two-under 70, while Thailand's Thammanoon Sriroj and Australia's Dean Alaban were joint third on six-under 138.

Kumar began his round with a birdie on the 10th, hitting an eight iron to about seven feet before holing the putt.

He sank a five-foot birdie putt on the 13th and a six-footer on the 16th before making the green in two on the par-5 18th for another birdie to make the turn at four-under for the day.

He picked up another shot at the second and holed his longest putt of the day, from 12 feet, for a birdie on the eighth.

"I played very consistently today," Kumar said.

"My hitting was almost perfect. If I had being putting better I could have opened up a big lead. Nearly half my shots were putts."

MISSED BIRDIES

The 33-year-old from Lucknow missed easy birdie chances, from about five feet, on the third and fifth holes for an aggregate of 31 putts on Friday.

"There will be no pressure on me," Kumar said. "You get pressure when you're not playing well."

But the thrice Order of Merit winner on the Indian tour said he felt it was time he had an Asian tour title under his belt.

"I am at a stage in my career where I should definitely have an Asian title. This just might be my week."

American Pitts, who won last year's rain-curtailed Taiwan Open, may have other ideas.

Pitts, also starting from the 10th tee, made bogeys on the 11th and 13th holes but turned the corner after a birdie on the par-5 18th.

On the next nine holes, he was more consistent with birdies on the first, third and fourth.

"The wind picked up today compared to yesterday so it was getting a bit more difficult, especially towards the afternoon," Pitts said.

"The course will get tougher and tougher every day since it is drying out. I'll have to concentrate on hitting the ball off the fairways and hitting the greens to stay in contention."