Can Shaurya Bhattacharya maintain his lead after shooting a record-low 62?
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Kolkata, Feb 18 (NationPress) Shaurya Bhattacharya, who led after the first round, achieved a remarkable tournament low score of eight-under 62 in the second round, extending his advantage to four strokes at the INR 1.5 crore DP World Players Championship 2026 held at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata on Wednesday.
The three-time DP World PGTI champion Shaurya (64-62), competing in his inaugural event of the 2026 PGTI season, delivered a flawless performance, featuring an eagle and six birdies to elevate his total to 14-under 126.
Kshitij Naveed Kaul (67-63) secured a 63, including an eagle, six birdies, and a bogey, climbing seven places to second with a score of 10-under 130. Both Sanjeev Kumar (65) and American Jhared Hack (66), winners of the season's opening tournament, shared the third spot at seven-under 133.
Honey Baisoya (65), the current DP World PGTI Ranking leader and last week's victor in Delhi, is tied for fifth at six-under 134, alongside Pranav Mardikar (67).
The cut was set at one-over 141, allowing fifty-eight professionals to progress to the final two rounds.
Bhattacharya commenced the day with a 15-foot birdie on the first hole and followed it with a stunning eagle on the Par-4 fifth hole, where he holed his approach from 140 yards, marking the highlight of his round.
Following this, the 23-year-old added five additional birdies, successfully scoring on all three Par-5s, and executed several impressive up-and-downs to maintain his lead.
Bhattacharya expressed, “I’m thrilled to have holed out from the fairway for the second time in the tournament. I did it in round one on the fourth hole from 110 yards and today on the fifth from 140 yards. My wedge play has been solid this week.”
“I effectively managed some challenging situations today, and my tee consistency persisted. Crucially, I capitalized on the Par-5s by scoring birdies on all of them,” he added.
Kshitij Naveed Kaul started his round with a 50-foot eagle on the 10th. A three-time winner at Tollygunge during his junior career, Kshitij nearly drove the greens on the Par-4 14th and 15th holes for birdies, adding a bogey and four more birdies thereafter.
Mohammad Sanju and Divyanshu Bajaj were the only professionals from Kolkata to make the cut, both tied for 47th at one-over 141.