Nuh (Haryana), April 22 (IANS) Akshay Sharma of Chandigarh and Dhruv Sheoran of Gurugram shared the 36-hole lead at nine-under 135 after round two of the INR 1 crore Players Championship being played at the Classic Golf & Country Club in Nuh, Haryana, on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old Akshay (70-65), a two-time PGTI Tour winner, produced the best round of the day – a seven-under 65 – to climb from tied 14th into a share of the lead. His round featured nine birdies and two bogeys, with a closing birdie sealing his move to the top.

The 31-year-old Dhruv (69-66), a winner on the tour in 2024, returned a six-under 66 that included an eagle on the par-5 14th along with six birdies and two bogeys.

Japan’s Taiga Tanaka (68-68), Kolkata’s Sunit Chowrasia (70-66), and Nepal’s Sukra Bahadur Rai (70-66) were tied third at eight-under 136, one shot off the lead. Chowrasia and Rai surged up the leaderboard with rounds of 66, while Tanaka added a steady second consecutive 68.

Overnight co-leaders Harman Sachdeva (67-70) and Jamal Hossain (67-70) slipped into a seven-way tie for sixth at seven-under 137. They were joined by the Karnal duo of Mani Ram (69-68) and Rohit Narwal (68-69), along with former Asian Tour winners Himmat Singh Rai of Delhi (70-67) and Viraj Madappa of Kolkata (71-66), as well as Bengaluru’s Manoj S. (70-67), who was recently the best-placed Indian at the Indian Open.

Akshay credited his sharp ball-striking and putting for his rise up the leaderboard. “I was spot on today — my ball-striking was good, and I putted really well, so it was an excellent round,” he said.

A strong stretch around the turn proved decisive. “I built momentum with a birdie on the ninth, chipped in on the 10th and then made a long putt on the 11th. After that, I was able to keep it going with a few more birdies,” he added.

Sheoran’s highlight came on the 14th, where he produced a near-perfect approach to set up an eagle. “I hit a good drive of around 330 yards and had about 218 yards left. I went with the longer club to stay safe, and it came out perfectly, finishing about three feet from the hole,” Sheoran said.

He added, “I started well in the calmer morning conditions, struck the ball cleanly and took advantage of the par-5s. Yesterday was tougher in the wind, but the experience of playing here at Classic helped. I’m just focusing on doing the right things and letting the results follow.”

The cut fell at even-par 144, with 50 of 132 players advancing to the final two rounds.

–IANS

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