Robert Moran made it back-to-back cuts made on the Challenge Tour after he muscled his way into the weekend at The Challenge in Bangalore.
The Castle GC amateur has been in India for the last two weeks having earned an invite into both of the Challenge Tour events, each held on the same course at Karnataka Golf Association.
Moran has taken advantage of the starts by making both of his cuts as he looks to gain more experience of tour life before leaping into the paid ranks, although this was a sweaty and nervy experience as his name bounced above and below the cut mark throughout the afternoon after a morning round of 69 left him on two-under.
“When I finished the round I didn’t think I had an absolute sniff of it and then it was a painful afternoon just refreshing the leaderboard. I can only move up now which is a nice thing for the next two days,” explained Moran who is part of the provisional GB&I Walker Cup panel.
“The golf has been fine, the first week I wasn’t very good off the tee, hit my irons well and seemed to have sorted it. Then I started driving it a bit better and the irons haven’t been good over the first two days this week but that’s golf, one thing gets better and the other gets worse.”
After a disappointing opening 73 where he dropped three shots in two holes, the 23-year-old started round two well with birdies on the 1st and 4th in a clean front nine of 34. Dropped shots on 10 and 16 threatened to derail his march towards the cut mark but birdies on 11, 14 and particularly 17 proved crucial as he edged into the weekend.
It was certainly a stressful afternoon of waiting by his own admission but an experience he hopes will stand to him in the future.
“Overall, as an experience where hopefully I turn pro in the near future it has kind of been one of those ones that when I do turn pro, it will be nice to look back having experienced weeks like these. It’s a bit weird playing the same golf course, eight competitive rounds in nine days, that’s not a normal thing,” said the Dubliner who has already taken in spells in Australia and South Africa this year.
“It’s an invaluable experience, even going to a place like India it has been a bonus. I hope I don’t curse myself, but I haven’t got sick in the week and a half I’ve been out here so aside from the golf, that’s all I can ask for.
“Coming to a place like this the golf is a challenge, the heat, never played on so much grain with different grasses and just another good experience of golf in different conditions and a different climate.”
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