Doral (USA), May 2 (IANS) Akshay Bhatia slipped down the leaderboard after a costly double bogey on his final hole, finishing the second round of the Cadillac Championship tied for 26th place in the PGA Tour event. Meanwhile, Sudarshan Yellamaraju carded a 66 but dropped late shots to settle for tied 16th, despite being well on course for a top-five finish earlier in the day.

Sahith Theegala also endured a tough round, recording a double-bogey on the eighth along with bogeys on the third, ninth, and 18th. His 76 left him tied for 48th, managing just one birdie against multiple setbacks. The closing stretch, particularly the 18th, proved challenging for many players. Bhatia, like Theegala, backed by Hero, had an up-and-down round featuring six birdies, four bogeys, and a double bogey to finish at even-par 72.

Yellamaraju was in excellent form early, reaching 9-under through 16 holes before stumbling with a three-shot drop over the final two holes, including a double bogey on the 17th. He ended the day at 4-under overall, having taken advantage of calm morning conditions before faltering late.

Cameron Young maintained his stronghold at the top, carding a 5-under 67 to reach 13-under and carry a five-shot lead into the weekend at the $20 million Signature Event at Trump National Doral. His only blemish came with a bogey on the par-4 14th.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, playing alongside Young, also shot a bogey-free 67 but remained seven shots behind in tied sixth. Nick Taylor (70), Alex Smalley (71), and Jordan Spieth (71) were tied for second, while Gary Woodland (69) sat alone in fifth at 7-under. A group including Alex Fitzpatrick followed at 6-under.

Spieth produced one of the rare highlights on the demanding 18th hole, sinking a birdie—just the sixth recorded there over the first two rounds on the challenging Blue Monster course.

–IANS

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