Gurugram, March 27 (NationPress) Defending titleholder Eugenio Chacarra from Spain recorded a score of three-under 69, securing the clubhouse lead with a cumulative score of eight-under 136 after the second round of the US$ 2.55 million Indian Open 2026. South Africans Casey Jarvis and MJ Daffue, who were champions in the same event last week, are currently positioned second and third with scores of seven-under 137 and six-under 138 respectively.

Hailing from Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, former PGTI Order of Merit champion Om Prakash Chouhan (73-71) emerged as the highest-ranked Indian by concluding his day with an impressive score of one-under 71 during the second round. Chouhan, who had previously triumphed on the HotelPlanner Tour three years ago, climbed 18 spots to tie for 23rd at an overall score of even-par 144.

Making his debut at the Indian Open, Manoj S., an 18-year-old from Bengaluru (76-70), showcased remarkable resilience with a score of 70 in Round Two, placing him as the next best Indian competitor in tied 41st with a total of two-over 146. Manoj surged 46 spots on the leaderboard on day two.

Earlier in the day, play was interrupted for one hour and 20 minutes due to lightning. By the time play was halted at 6:37 PM local time on Friday, 30 players had yet to finish their second round. The Indian trio consisting of Kartik Singh (73-76), Dhruv Sheoran (75-74), and Khalin Joshi (77-72) all found themselves tied for 68th place, each at a total of five-over 149, just one stroke shy of the projected cut of four-over.

The 39-year-old Om Prakash Chouhan, a holder of 12 titles including a recent victory last month on the DP World PGTI, began his day with three bogeys in the first six holes but rallied back with five birdies spanning from the ninth to the 14th holes. Despite bogeying the final 18th hole, he remained the top Indian player at the close of day two.

Chouhan remarked, “My tee and approach shots have been superb this week, and I've rarely missed a fairway in the initial rounds. Today, my sand wedge play was exceptional, setting me up for several short birdie attempts. The only inconsistency has been my putting; I made a couple of long putts but also had three instances of three-putting.

“I approached today’s round conservatively at first, but after the early bogeys, I reverted to my natural aggressive style, which helped me significantly climb up the leaderboard. I fully utilized my experience from the DP World Tour in 2024 to my advantage today.”

Manoj S. experienced two bogeys but made up for them with four birdies on the front nine, although he did drop a hard-earned bogey on the ninth hole where he found the water.

Manoj expressed, “My ball-striking was very effective in the second round, allowing me to hit most fairways and greens. I planned my round meticulously. After failing to make a birdie yesterday, I’m proud of my comeback today. I didn’t let the two bogeys on the back nine discourage me and managed to recover well.”

“It feels fantastic to debut at the Indian Open this week. My goal is to perform to the best of my abilities while enjoying the experience. Competing on the DP World PGTI has significantly contributed to my growth and performance here.”

Notable Indian players Rayhan Thomas and Veer Ahlawat are both tied for 75th at six-over 150. Meanwhile, Shubhankar Sharma, one shot further back in tied 86th place, and Yuvraj Sandhu, in tied 128th, are set to miss the cut.

Players will return to complete their second round on Saturday, with the third round action expected to commence later in the morning.